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THE 
CRYSTAL  PALACE 

AND  OTHER  LEGENDS 


RETOLD  BY 

MARIE  H.  FRARY 

AND 
CHARLES  M.  STEBBINS 


WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY  HERBERT  E.  MARTINI 


STEBBINS   AND    COMPANY 

NEW   YORK 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1909 

BY 

STEBBINS  AND  COMPANY 


PREFACE 

Legends  have  a  fascination  for  all 
classes  of  people,  but  they  possess  a  pecul- 
iar charm  for  children.  They  constitute, 
in  fact,  a  form  of  literature  particularly 
fitting  to  the  mental  world  of  the  child. 
In  them  fact  and  fancy  are  happily 
blended.  Around  the  bare  facts  of  re- 
corded or  unrecorded  history,  are  woven 
the  poetic  ideals  of  a  romantic  people. 

Nothing  could  be  more  worth  a  child's 
reading  than  a  story  of  the  past  that  con- 
veys not  only  an  idea  of  the  everyday  life 
of  real  people,  but  represents  them  also  as 
striving  after  ideals  in  various  forms  of 
beauty. 

No  influence  is  greater  than  the  moral 
force  of  beauty.  In  the  present  volume 
the  purpose  of  the  writers  has  been  to  pre- 


Preface 

sent  only  such  legends  as  reveal  simplicity, 
strength,  and  beauty.  These  qualities 
make  their  inevitable  appeal  to  the  child 
fancy. 

The  subject  matter  of  the  book  has  been 
graded  for  children  of  eight  or  ten  years. 
It  is,  therefore,  well  suited  for  use  as  a 
supplementary  reader  in  the  fourth  or  fifth 
grade. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

The  Crystal  Palace 7 

The  Angel  Page 13 

The  Gnome's  Road 21 

The  Lorelei 26 

The  Sunken  City .  31 

•j-he  Bird  of  Paradise 39 

The  Bell  of  Atri ,     .  48 

The  Pot  of  Hot  Porridge 53 

The  Silver  Bell 57 

The  Two  Baker  Boys 66 

The  Emperor's  Wooing 70 

The  Magic  Ring 76 

Charlemagne's  Generosity 83 

The  Silver  Bridge 89 

The  Pet  Raven 93 

The  Night  of  the  Stolen  Treasure     .     .     .  101 

The  Water  Sprites 106 

The  Giant  Maiden 109 

The  Swan  Knight 113 


THE  CRYSTAL  PALACE 

Many,  many  years  ago  there  lived  in 
the  village  of  Zurdorf,  a  queer  little  old 
woman.  She  was  a  very  kind  old  lady 
and  a  good  nurse.  Often  she  was  called 
upon  to  care  for  the  boys  and  girls  of  the 
village. 

They  quite  enjoyed  being  ill  because  she 
knew  so  many  interesting  stories.  She 
told  them  of  great  knights  and  ladies,  of 
castles  and  fairies,  of  the  wood  nymphs^ 
and  the  water  sprites;  but  best  of  all  was 
the  story  of  old  Father  Rhine. 

One  night  as  she  sat  knitting,  a  knock 
came  at  the  cottage  door.  She  opened  it 
and  there  stood  a  strange  man,  carrying  a 
lantern  of  curious  pattern.  He  did  not 
speak,  but  motioned  to  her  to  follow  him. 

The  night  was  dark,  and  the  rain  was 
7 


8  The  Crystal  Palace 

pouring  down  in  torrents.  Great  pools 
were  found  in  the  streets.  Aunt  Margot, 
as  the  children  called  the  old  lady,  hesi- 
tated to  follow  the  stranger.  It  was  not, 
however,  because  she  was  afraid  of  the 
storm,  but  because  the  man  was  a  stranger. 

He  motioned  to  her  again.  She  saw 
that  his  face  was  kindly,  and  so  decided  to 
follow  him.  Down  the  dark  street  they 
passed,  splashing  through  the  deep  pools 
of  water. 

Suddenly  the  water  became  deeper,  and 
began  to  eddy  about  Margot's  ankles. 
She  became  frightened  and  was  about  to 
turn  and  flee. 

"I  can  go  no  farther,"  she  shouted; 
"what  manner  of  man  art  thou,  and 
whither  wouldst  thou  lead  me  ?" 

The  old  man  did  not  answer,  but  caught 
Margot  in  his  arms  and  plunged  into  the 
river  Rhine.  It  had  risen  from  its  banks, 
and  its  eddying  waters  had  frightened 
Margot. 

Down,  down,  through  cold  green  waters 


The  Crystal  Palace  9 

they  sank.  It  seemed  to  Margot  as  if  she 
were  going  down  forever.  She  closed  her 
eyes  and  ceased  to  struggle. 

At  last  they  seemed  to  have  passed  out 
of  the  water,  and  Margot  opened  her  eyes. 
She  found  herself  in  a  wonderful  crystal 
palace.  Precious  stones  glittered  all 
about  her.  The  ornaments  were  of  silver 
and  gold.  As  soon  as  she  had  recovered 
from  her  wonder,  she  was  led  into  an  im- 
mense chamber.  Here  on  a  bed  of  crystal, 
with  silken  coverings,  lay  a  beautiful 
golden  haired  nymph,  who  was  ill. 

"I  have  brought  you  here,"  said  the  old 
man,  "to  care  for  my  beautiful  wife. 
Nurse  her  tenderly  back  to  health,  and 
you  shall  never  regret  it." 

The  lovely  nymph  was  so  good  to  look 
upon  that  old  Margot  took  great  delight 
in  caring  for  her.  She  tended  her  so 
gently  and  so  faithfully  that  the  golden 
haired  lady  improved  rapidly.  She  was 
soon  quite  well. 

In  soft  whispers  she  told  the  old  nurse 


10  The  Crystal  Palace 

that  her  husband  was  a  mighty  water 
spirit.  Mortals  called  him  Father  Rhine. 
She  had  lived  on  the  earth  and  was  the 
only  daughter  of  the  Lord  of  Rheidt. 

One  day  when  she  was  at  a  village 
dance,  there  appeared  before  her  a  strange 
man.  He  was  clad  in  foamy  green.  He 
asked  her  to  tread  a  measure  with  him. 
Round  and  round  they  whirled  until  they 
reached  the  water  edge.  Suddenly  he 
plunged  with  her  into  the  stream,  and 
brought  her  to  the  crystal  palace,  where 
he  made  her  his  happy  wife. 

"And  now,  kind  nurse,  we  must  soon 
part,"  said  the  beautiful  lady.  "When 
Father  Rhine  offers  to  reward  you,  accept 
from  him  only  your  usual  fee,  no  matter 
how  much  he  urges  you  to  take  more.  He 
loves  honesty,  but  loathes  greed." 

Just  then  Father  Rhine  appeared.  See- 
ing his  beloved  wife  quite  well  again,  the 
river  god  beckoned  to  the  nurse  to  follow 
him.  He  led  her  through  many  halls  of 
the  great  castle.     Finally  they  came  to  his 


The  Crystal  Palace  1 1 

treasure  chamber.  Here  all  around  lay- 
great  heaps  of  gold,  silver,  and  precious 
stones. 

The  water  god  was  very  grateful  to  the 
good  nurse  for  saving  his  wife ;  so  he  bade 
her  help  herself.  The  old  woman  gazed 
upon  the  jewels  longingly.  How  well  she 
could  use  them  to  help  the  poor !  She  re- 
membered, however,  what  the  beautiful 
golden  haired  lady  had  told  her.  So  she 
selected  only  a  small  fee  such  as  she  al- 
ways received.  The  mysterious  man 
urged  her  to  take  more,  but  she  firmly  re- 
fused. 

Then  the  great  water  god  took  her  by 
the  hand  and  led  her  through  a  long  dark 
corridor.  Suddenly  she  found  herself 
again  in  the  cold  water  of  the  Rhine. 
Slowly  he  rose  with  her  through  the  dark 
flood.  Up  and  up  they  went  until  she 
found  herself,  dripping  but  safe,  on  the 
shore  near  her  own  house.  As  he  beck- 
oned adieu  to  her,  Father  Rhine  flung  a 
whole  handful  of  gold  into  her  lap.     Then 


12  The  Crystal  Palace 

he  plunged  into  the  river  again  and  was 
gone. 

Ever  since  that  time  the  little  people  of 
the  village  have  loved  to  hear  of  the  won- 
ders of  the  crystal  palace  beneath  the  flood. 
So  the  good  nurse  tells  it  over  and  over 
again.  And  she  never  forgets  to  show 
the  handful  of  gold  which,  she  says,  is  the 
same  Father  Rhine  gave  her. 


THE  ANGEL  PAGE 

A  handsome  lad  once  sought  a  brave 
and  noble  knight,  asking  leave  to  serve 
him  as  page.  The  knight  was  greatly- 
charmed  by  the  graceful  manners  of  the 
young  lad,  and  was  pleased  with  his  un- 
usual request.  He  granted  the  lad's 
prayer,  and  never  once  did  he  have  cause 
to  regret  it. 

The  little  page  did  every  duty  with 
great  cheerfulness  and  skill.  He  was  so 
devoted  to  his  master  that  he  was  able  to 
foresee  almost  every  wish.  It  was  not 
long  before  he  had  won  his  master's  love, 
and  the  two  became  constant  comrades. 

The    years    passed    swiftly    by.     The 

knight  had  never  before  been  so  happy, 

and    never    so    successful.       Everything 

seemed  to  turn  out  just  as  he  wished  it. 

l3 


14  The  Angel  Page 

Nothing  had  gone  wrong  since  the  day 
that  the  little  page  had  entered  his  gate. 

One  day  as  the  two  were  riding  along 
the  banks  of  the  Rhine,  they  noticed  a 
band  of  robbers  coming  toward  them. 
These  men  had  often  sought  to  harm  the 
good  knight.  The  band  was  so  large  that 
it  was  easy  to  see  that  the  brave  knight 
could  make  no  headway  against  them. 
There  seemed  to  be  no  way  of  escape. 

"Would  to  God/'  cried  the  brave  man, 
"that  you  were  safe  within  my  castle  walls, 
my  faithful  little  page!  We  are  lost,  my 
lad,  but  we  must  sell  our  lives  as  dearly  as 
possible.  Let  us  die  like  heroes.  Do  you 
get  behind  me,  my  page,  and,  if  possible, 
I  bid  you  flee." 

"My  dear  master,"  replied  the  little 
page,  "follow  me.  I  will  show  you  a  way 
to  escape.     Follow  me." 

The  page  put  spurs  to  his  horse  and  gal- 
loped along  the  river  bank.  Suddenly  he 
turned  the  unwilling  steed  directly  into 
the  rushing  stream. 


The  Angel  Page  15 

"Rash  boy,  come  back!"  called  the 
knight,  dashing  forward  with  the  hope  of 
overtaking  the  daring  page.  "Better  die 
fighting  bravely  than  perish  miserably  in 
the  river.  Come  back,  my  page,  come 
back!" 

"Have  no  fear,  my  dear  master,  but  fol- 
low me,"  still  cried  the  little  page. 

The  sound  of  his  voice  rose  so  confi- 
dently above  the  noise  of  the  wind  and 
waves  that  the  knight  obeyed,  hardly 
knowing  what  he  was  doing.  A  few  min- 
utes later  the  horses  had  found  a  firm  foot- 
ing in  the  river.  Guided  by  the  faithful 
little  page,  the  knight  safely  forded  the 
stream.  He  reached  the  farther  shore 
just  as  his  enemies  came  down  to  the 
water's  edge. 

The  angry  robbers  urged  their  steeds 
into  the  deep  water,  but  no  trace  of  ford 
could  be  found  and  they  were  forced  to 
give  up  the  pursuit. 

The  knight's  love  for  the  little  page 
was  greatly  increased  after  this,  and  the 


1 6  The  Angel  Page 

little  page,  too,  seemed  to  love  his  master 
more  and  more.  He  was  only  happy 
when  in  his  master's  presence  or  when  do- 
ing some  errand  for  him. 

A  short  time  after  this  happy  escape 
from  death  the  knight's  beautiful  wife  be- 
came suddenly  ill.  The  knight  loved  her 
as  he  loved  his  own  life,  and  was  in  great 
sorrow  for  fear  that  she  might  die. 

Many  wise  doctors  were  called  to  her 
bedside,  but  they  could  do  nothing.  They 
declared  that  there  was  only  one  thing 
that  would  cure  her — the  milk  of  a  lioness. 
That  could  not  be  obtained  because  there 
were  no  lions  in  the  country. 

The  rumor  of  this  strange  remedy 
spread  rapidly  through  the  castle.  It 
came  to  the  ears  of  the  faithful  little  page. 
He  at  once  sprang  to  his  feet  and  rushed 
out  of  the  hall.  An  hour  later,  before 
any  change  had  taken  place  in  the  lady's 
condition,  the  page  returned  to  the  castle. 

He  went  directly  to  the  bedside  of  his: 
mistress  and  sat  down,  flushed  and  pant- 


The  A  71  gel  Page  17 

ing.  But  in  his  hand  he  bore  a  cup  full 
of  the  milk  of  a  lioness,  which  was  given 
to  the  patient  at  once.  In  a  few  moments 
the  color  crept  back  into  the  lady's  pale 
cheeks.  A  new  light  came  into  her  eyes 
and  she  sank  into  a  sweet  sleep.  When 
she  awoke  she  was  fully  cured.  All  her 
strength  had  come  back,  and  she  was  very 
happy. 

Then  the  good  knight  went  to  seek  the 
little  page.  He  poured  out  to  him  his 
thanks.  He  could  not  say  enough  to 
express  what  he  felt  for  his  faithful 
servant.  He  wished  to  know  all  about 
it. 

"Tell  me,  my  sweet,  faithful  page,"  he 
urged,  "how  you  were  able  to  get  this 
remedy,  which  all  my  wealth  could  not 
procure." 

"My  noble  master,"  replied  the  page,  "I 
knew  that  a  lioness  was  lying  with  her 
cubs  in  an  Arabian  den,  and  so  I — " 

"Arabia!"  exclaimed  the  knight,  inter- 
rupting the  page,  "Arabia !     Did  you  find 


1 8  The  Angel  Page 

your  way  there  and  back  in  one  short 
hour?" 

"Yes,  my  dear  master,"  replied  the  lit- 
tle page,  "that  is  the  truth."  And  he 
fixed  his  beautiful,  truthful  eyes  on  his 
master's  pale,  wondering  face. 

"My  lad,  who  are  you  then?"  suddenly 
asked  the  knight,  a  nameless  fear  gnaw- 
ing at  his  heart.  "Who  are  you  ?  Speak ; 
tell  me  everything." 

"Master,  my  noble  master,  ask  not  who 
I  am  nor  whence  I  came,"  cried  the  lit- 
tle page,  sinking  down  at  the  knight's 
feet,  and  raising  his  beseeching  hands. 
"Do  not  ask  me.  Let  me  remain  by  your 
side,  my  good  master.  Remember  that  no 
harm  has  come  to  you  since  I  have  been 
in  your  service." 

"My  page,  stop  this  pleading  and  tell 
me  what  I  ask.  Who  are  you?"  con- 
tinued the  knight,  paying  no  attention  to 
the  little  page's  beseeching  look. 

"A  spirit,  O  my  master,  a  spirit  of  light, 
who  for  you  and  yours  left  a  home  in  the 


The  Angel  Page  19 

realms  above.  But  now  I  must  leave  you, 
my  master.     Farewell;  farewell." 

"Lad,  lad,  my  sweet  lad,  leave  me  not. 
Stay  with  me  still,"  cried  the  knight. 
"Ask  what  reward  you  please,  but  do  not 
forsake  me.  Remain,  my  faithful  little 
page,  for  I  cannot  live  without  you." 

"You  have  asked  me  what  I  am  and 
whence  I  came,  and  have  mentioned  a  re- 
ward. The  charm,  my  dear  master,  is 
broken,  and  now  I  must  leave  you.  In 
return  for  the  things  that  I  have  done  for 
you  so  cheerfully  and  so  lovingly,  I  ask 
you  to  place  a  silver  bell  in  the  midst  of 
the  forest.  Its  tinkling  sound  may  guide 
many  weary  travelers  and  help  them  to 
find  their  way  home.  Dedicate  the  bell  to 
God  and  to  his  angelic  host,  O  master; 
and  now  receive  my  last  farewell." 

The  little  page  suddenly  vanished.  No 
one  saw  him  leave  the  hall  nor  pass 
through  the  castle  gates,  and  no  trace  of 
him  was  ever  found.  The  angel  page  had 
faded  from  mortal  sight  and  returned  to 


20  The  Angel  Page 

his  home  above.  He  had  gone  back  to 
live  with  spirits  as  good  and  faithful  and 
pure  as  himself. 

The  knight  at  once  had  the  silver  bell 
placed  in  the  forest.  But  he  could  not 
forget  his  faithful  page.  He  sought  for 
him  everywhere,  and  when  at  evening  the 
silver  tones  of  the  little  bell  rang  out  in 
the  quiet  air  they  seemed  to  him  like  the 
words  of  an  angel,  and  filled  his  heart 
with  restless  desire. 

The  noble  knight  seemed  to  lose  all  in- 
terest in  life.  His  strength  began  to  fail; 
his  step  grew  slow  and  feeble;  and  one 
day  when  the  shades  of  night  were  fall- 
ing and  the  first  tinkle  of  the  little  bell 
came  to  his  ear,  he  softly  murmured  "My 
page,  my  faithful  little  page";  and  he 
went  to  live  with  the  spirit  he  had  learned 
to  love  so  well. 


THE  GNOME'S  ROAD 

On  the  high  hill  above  the  Rhine  still 
stand  the  ruins  of  an  old  Castle.  Here 
Kuno  Von  Sayne  once  lived.  Kuno  was 
a  very  proud  young  man  for  he  was  a 
member  of  a  very  noble  family. 

He  had  fallen  in  love  with  the  beautiful 
daughter  of  the  surly  old  Lord  of  Faul- 
kenstein.  At  last  he  succeeded  in  win- 
ning the  love  of  the  maiden,  but  of  her 
father  he  had  great  fear. 

After  many  months  of  hoping  and  fear- 
ing, he  decided  to  go  to  the  old  Lord  and 
ask  for  his  daughter's  hand.  One  beau- 
tiful morning  he  set  out  on  his  mission, 
to  the  Castle  of  Faulkenstein.  This  Cas- 
tle was  perched  far  up  on  the  heights  that 
rose  above  a  small  river. 

It  was  a  long  journey,  and  he  had  al- 
21 


22  The  Gnome's  Road 

most  lost  his  courage  when  he  reached  the 
place.  However,  he  went  at  once  into  the 
presence  of  the  Lord  of  Faulkenstein  and 
boldly  made  known  his  wish. 

The  grim,  old  Lord  looked  at  him 
long  and  closely,  then  in  tones  that  were 
terrible  to  poor  Kuno  spoke. 

"I  will,"  he  said,  "consider  the  matter 
if  you  will  promise  to  do  one  thing  for 
me." 

Without  waiting  to  find  out  what  he 
was  to  do,  Kuno  eagerly  consented. 

"Then,"  said  the  Lord  of  Faulkenstein, 
"you  may  wed  my  daughter  on  condition 
that  you  build  a  convenient  road  over  the 
jagged  rock  to  the  village.  You  are  to 
ride  up  that  road  on  your  war  horse  be- 
fore sunrise  to-morrow  morning." 

Poor  Kuno  was  speechless.  Nothing 
was  to  be  said,  for  he  knew  how  impos- 
sible was  the  task.  Many  months  of  hard 
labor  would  scarcely  accomplish  the  great 
work. 

Sadly  he  made  his  way  down  the  rocks 


The  Gnome's  Road  23 

again.  He  had  not  been  able  to  catch 
even  a  glimpse  of  the  fair  Irmangarde,  his 
beloved,  so  he  sat  down  upon  a  rock  in  the 
valley  and  began  to  reproach  himself  for 
his  stupidity. 

Suddenly  he  was  aroused  from  his 
thoughts  by  a  small  voice  calling  to  him. 

"Kuno,  Kuno  Von  Sayne,"  it  said. 

He  looked  up  and  there  before  him 
stood  the  King  of  the  Gnomes. 

"Despair  not,"  said  the  kindly  little 
man.  "Myself  and  my  subjects  will 
gladly  help  so  good  a  knight;  so  away  to 
the  inn  where  you  left  your  steed.  Be- 
fore sunrise  to-morrow  morning  the  road 
shall  be  ready." 

At  this  the  King  of  the  Gnomes  waved 
his  hand.  A  great  mist  rose  and  covered 
the  hill  and  valley  with  its  dense  vapor. 
Thousands  of  dwarf-like  creatures  now 
sprang  out  of  the  ground  on  all  sides. 
They  began  using  axes,  hammers,  and 
spades  with  great  good  will.  All  night 
long  Kuno  Von  Sayne  heard  the  crashing 


24  The  Gnome's  Road 

of  great  forest  trees,  and  the  breaking  of 
stones.  Now  and  then  he  heard  a  loud 
rumble  like  thunder;  there  was  a  contin- 
ual clatter  and  crashing  throughout  the 
whole  night.  At  dawn  he  came  from  his 
room,  and  was  greeted  by  the  inn-keeper. 

"A  great  storm  must  have  raged  over 
the  valley  last  night,"  said  the  latter.  "I 
was  kept  awake  all  the  night  by  the  noise." 

Kuno  did  not  pause  to  listen  to  the 
man's  tales,  but  loudly  called  for  his  horse. 
He  mounted  and  rode  rapidly  away  to  the 
foot  of  the  mountain.  Far  above  him 
loomed  the  Castle  of  Faulkenstein.  How 
Kuno's  heart  leaped  with  joy.  There,  in- 
deed, was  a  road  leading  up  to  the  Castle. 
True  to'  his  promise,  the  King  of  the 
Gnomes  had  built  a  broad,  convenient 
road  through  the  forest  and  over  the 
rocks.  Kuno  galloped  boldly  up,  ex- 
changing smiles  with  the  kindly  dwarfs 
who  peered  at  him  from  behind  every  rock 
and  tree.  From  the  ramparts  of  the  Cas- 
tle, stepped  the  beautiful  Irmangarde. 


The  Gnome's  Road  2$ 

Kuno  dashed  over  the  arched  bridge  the 
dwarfs  were  just  finishing  and  greeted  her 
gaily.  The  dwarfs  raised  a  glad  shout  of 
triumph.  The  Knight  of  Faulkenstein 
was  awakened  by  the  shout.  He  looked 
out,  and  there,  stretching  far  out  from 
the  Castle,  saw  the  newly  built  road.  He 
thought  he  must  still  be  dreaming,  and 
rubbed  his  eyes  again  and  again. 

When,  however,  he  saw  the  beaming 
face  of  Irmangarde  and  Kuno,  he  knew 
that  he  had  been  outwitted.  So  as  the 
first  sunbeams  fell  upon  the  Castle,  light- 
ing up  the  gladdened  heart  and  blushing 
cheeks  of  the  maiden,  Kuno  claimed  her 
as  his  bride.  The  Lord  of  Faulkenstein 
was  proud  to  accept  a  man  who  could  do 
such  wonderful  things  as  Kuno  had  ac- 
complished during  the  night. 


THE  LORELEI 

Count  Ludwig  was  the  only  son  of  the 
Prince  Palatine.  He  lived  with  his  father 
in  the  castle  at  Stahleck.  The  young 
count  had  heard  many  marvelous  tales  of 
the  beautiful  Lorelei  and  he  determined  to 
go  in  search  of  her. 

One  evening  he  stole  from  his  father's 
castle  to  sail  down  the  Rhine.  He  hoped 
to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  Siren  Lorelei. 
The  stars  were  twinkling  softly  overhead, 
and  the  bark  slowly  drifted  down  the  river. 
Darker  and  darker  grew  the  waters  as 
the  bed  of  the  Rhine  grew  narrower.  But 
the  young  count  did  not  notice  this.  His 
eyes  were  fixed  on  the  rocks  far  above, 
where  he  hoped  to  see  the  beautiful  nymph. 

Suddenly  he  saw  a  shimmer  of  white 
drapery  and  golden  hair.  At  the  same 
time  he  heard  the  faint,  sweet  sound  of 
26 


The  Lorelei  27 

an  alluring  song.  As  he  drew  nearer,  the 
melody  became  more  distinct.  The  moon- 
beams fell  upon  the  maiden  and  seemed 
to  make  her  even  more  beautiful.  She 
bent  over  the  rockv  led°:e  and  beckoned 
him  to  draw  nearer. 

The  count  and  boatman  were  spell- 
bound by  the  vision  above  them,  and  they 
paid  no  heed  to  the  vessel.  Suddenly  the 
boat  struck  against  the  rocks  and  went  to 
pieces.  The  men  struggled  against  the 
swift  current,  and  all  escaped  except  the 
vounsr  count.  Him  the  Lorelei  took 
down  to  her  magic  palace  below  the  river 
to  be  her  lover  forever.  Many  different 
stories  about  the  young  count's  fate  were 
related  by  the  men  who  escaped. 

The  Prince  Palatine  was  deeply  grieved 
over  his  only  son's  death.  He  blamed  the 
beautiful  Lorelei  and  longed  for  revenge. 
Finally  he  sent  for  one  of  his  greatest 
warriors. 

"You  are  to  capture  this  wicked  crea- 
ture who  has  caused  so  much  woe,"  he 


28  The  Lorelei 

said.  "Take  a  band  of  armed  men  and 
post  them  at  once  all  around  the  rock,  so 
that  the  nymph  cannot  escape." 

The  great  warrior  did  as  he  was  com- 
manded. At  the  head  of  a  band  of  armed 
men  he  climbed  noiselessly  up  the  moon- 
lit cliff  and  presented  himself  before  the 
charming  Lorelei.  There  she  sat,  as 
usual,  combing  her  golden  hair  and  croon- 
ing her  matchless  song.  The  men 
hemmed  her  in  on  all  sides.  They  left  no 
mode  of  escape  except  by  the  steep  descent 
to  the  river. 

"We  command  you  to  surrender,"  said 
the  captain  of  the  band. 

The  nymph  made  no  reply,  but  grace- 
fully waved  her  white  hands.  The  grim 
old  warriors  suddenly  felt  as  if  rooted  to 
the  spot.  They  could  neither  move  nor 
speak. 

There  they  stood  motionless  with  di- 
lated eyes  fixed  upon  the  Lorelei.  They 
saw  her  remove  all  of  her  jewels  and  drop 
them  one  by  one  into  the  Rhine  beneath 


The  Lorelei  29 

her  feet.  Then  she  whirled  about  in  a 
mystic  spell,  chanting  her  magic  tunes. 
They  could  understand  nothing  of  it  ex- 
cept now  and  then  a  word  about  white- 
maned  steeds  and  pearl  shell  chariots. 

When  the  song  and  dance  were  ended, 
the  waters  of  the  Rhine  began  to  seethe 
and  bubble.  Higher  and  higher  they 
rose,  until  they  reached  the  top  of  the 
cliff. 

The  petrified  warriors  felt  the  cold  tide 
surge  about  their  feet.  Suddenly  they 
saw  a  great  white-crested  wave  rolling 
rapidly  toward  them.  In  its  green  depths 
they  beheld  a  chariot  drawn  by  white- 
maned  steeds.  Into  this  car  the  Lorelei 
sprang  and  quickly  vanished  over  the  edge 
of  the  cliff  into  the  river. 

In  a  few  moments  the  angry  waters  had 
sunk  to  their  usual  level.  The  brave  war- 
riors discovered  that  they  could  move 
once  more.  They  rubbed  their  eyes  and 
looked  about  them.  No  trace  of  the  sud- 
den rise  except  the  water  drops  along  the 


30  The  Lorelei 

face  of  the   cliff  could  be  seen.     These 
shone  in  the  moonlight  like  diamonds. 

The  Lorelei  has  never  since  then  ap- 
peared on  the  cliff.  But  boatmen  have 
often  heard  the  faint  sweet  echo  of  her  al- 
luring song,  wafted  toward  them  on  the 
summer  breeze  at  midnight.  It  is  said 
that  she  remains  in  her  beautiful  palace 
and  gardens  below  the  green  Rhine,  en- 
joying the  companionship  of  her  earthly 
lover. 


THE  SUNKEN  CITY 

There  was  once,  we  are  told,  a  fine 
tract  of  land  where  now  roll  the  waves  of 
the  Zuyder  Zee.  On  the  very  spot  where 
now  the  fishermen  anchor  their  boats  and 
fish,  there  stood  a  beautiful  city.  It  was 
protected  from  the  sea  by  great  dykes. 

The  name  of  the  city  was  Stavoren,  and 
the  people  who  lived  there  were  very 
wealthy.  Some  of  them  were  so  wealthy 
that  they  laid  their  great  halls  with  floors 
of  gold  and  silver.  But  in  spite  of  their 
wealth  they  were  selfish,  thoughtless,  and 
hard  hearted.  For  the  poor  people  they 
cared  nothing. 

The  richest  person  among  them  was  a 
maiden  lady.  She  had  palaces,  farms, 
ships  and  counting-houses — everything 
that  one  could  desire.  But  she  thought 
of  nothing  except  how  she  might  increase 
31 


32  The  Sunken  City 

her  store.  With  this  in  mind  she  one  day 
summoned  the  captain  of  her  largest  ves- 
sel. 

'  When  he  came  she  bade  him  sail  away 
to  procure  a  cargo  of  the  most  precious 
things  of  earth,  and  to  return  within  the 
year.  Not  knowing  exactly  what  she 
wished,  the  captain  questioned  her,  but 
she  simply  repeated  her  order  and  sent 
him  away  at  once. 

The  captain  set  sail  from  Stavoren 
without  knowing  where  he  was  going. 
After  leaving  the  harbor  he  called  his  of- 
ficers together  and  asked  their  advice. 
Each  had  a  different  opinion  as  to  what 
were  the  most  precious  things  of  earth. 

The  captain  was  plunged  into  greater 
doubt  than  ever.  He  thought  over  the 
question  for  many  long  hours,  smoking 
his  pipe  and  scratching  his  head.  At  last 
he  said  to  himself  that  nothing  could  be 
more  precious  than  wheat,  which  is  the 
staff  of  life. 

Accordingly  he  purchased  a  cargo  of 


The  Sunken  City  33 

grain,  and  returned  happily  to  his  native 
town,  arriving  long  before  the  year  had 
passed.  The  haughty  lady  had  in  the 
meantime  told  all  her  friends  that  her  ves- 
sel had  gone  in  search  of  the  most  pre- 
cious thing  of  earth.  She  would  not  tell 
her  closest  friend  what  that  most  precious 
thing  might  be.  So  everybody  was  very 
curious. 

When  one  day  her  captain  appeared 
suddenly  before  her  and  told  her  that  he 
had  brought  a  cargo  of  wheat,  her  pride 
vanished.  She  flew  into  a  terrible  rage 
and  commanded  that  every  kernel  be  cast 
into  the  sea  at  once.  The  captain  was 
shocked  at  this  order  and  plead  with  her 
to  allow  him  to  give  the  wheat  to  the  poor. 
She  repeated  her  command. 

"I  will  come  down  to  the  port  myself," 
she  said,  "to  make  sure  that  every  kernel 
is  cast  into  the  sea." 

The  captain  made  his  way  sadly  back 
to  his  vessel.  As  he  did  so  he  met  several 
beggars  by  the  way  and  told  them  that  a 


34  The  Sunken  City 

cargo  of  wheat  was  to  be  cast  into  the 
sea.  By  the  time  the  lady  reached  the 
dock  the  poor  had  gathered  there  from  all 
parts  of  the  city,  hoping  to  secure  some  of 
the  grain. 

When  the  lady  approached,  many  im- 
ploring hands  were  extended  toward  her, 
but  all  was  in  vain.  Angry  and  proud, 
she  made  the  sailors  cast  all  the  wheat 
into  the  sea.  The  captain,  powerless  to 
prevent  this  sinful  waste,  looked  on  in 
quiet  rage.  When  the  last  kernel  had 
disappeared  beneath  the  water  he  turned 
to  his  haughty  mistress. 

"As  surely  as  there  is  a  God  above  us," 
he  exclaimed,  "you  will  be  punished  for 
this  sin.  The  time  will  come  when  you, 
the  wealthiest  person  in  Stavoren,  will 
long  for  a  few  handfuls  of  this  wasted 
wheat." 

The  lady  listened  to  his  words  in 
haughty  silence.  When  he  had  finished, 
she  took  a  costly  ring  from  her  delicate 
hand  and  cast  it  into  the  sea. 


The  Sunken  City  35 

"When  this  ring  comes  back  to  me," 
she  said,  "I  will  believe  what  you  say  and 
fear  that  I  may  come  to  want." 

A  few  hours  afterward  the  lady's  cook 
was  preparing  dinner  for  her.  He  was 
opening  a  large  fish  which  had  just  been 
brought  from  the  sea,  when  to  his  sur- 
prise his  eyes  fell  upon  the  costly  ring. 
He  immediately  sent  it  to  his  proud  mis- 
tress. When  she  recognized  it  she  turned 
very  pale. 

Shortly  afterward  there  came  a  report 
that  one  of  her  counting-houses  had  been 
ruined,  and  another  report  of  disaster 
came  that  same  evening.  All  her  count- 
ing-houses were  ruined.  Her  fleet  had 
been  destroyed  at  sea;  her  palaces  were 
burning;  and  her  farms  were  laid  waste 
by  storms. 

In  a  few  Hours  everything  that  she  had 
possessed  was  stripped  from  her.  The 
palace  in  which  she  lived  burned  down 
during  the  night,  and  she  barely  escaped 
with  her  life. 


36  The  Sunken  City 

Now  she  was  desolate,  indeed!  The 
rich  people  of  the  city  cared  nothing  for 
her  now  that  her  money  was  all  gone. 
The  poor  people  whom  she  had  treated 
with  contempt  allowed  her  to  die  of  hun- 
ger and  cold  in  a  miserable  shed. 

The  city  of  Stavoren  did  not  profit  by 
the  sad  end  of  the  haughty  lady.  The 
rich  people  continued  to  enjoy  life  and  to 
neglect  the  j)oor.  It  did  not  matter  to 
them  what  happened  to  their  wretched  fel- 
low creatures.  They,  like  the  haughty 
lady,  were  truly  selfish. 

As  time  went  on  the  sand  began  to  in- 
crease in  the  port,  so  that  it  was  soon  im- 
possible for  ships  to  come  to  anchor.  It 
grew  worse  and  worse.  The  waves 
washed  the  sand  up  until  a  great  sand-bar 
rose  above  the  waters  and  all  further  com- 
merce was  stopped.  It  was  not  very  long 
before  the  sand  bank  was  covered  with 
little  green  blades.  The  people  gazed 
Upon  it  in  surprise. 

"It  is  the  Lady's  Sand,"  they  declared. 


The  Sunken  City  37 

"For  it  is  the  wheat  that  she  had  cast  into 
the  sea  that  is  growing  there." 

The  wheat  grew  very  rapidly,  but  bore 
no  fruit.  It  did  not  matter  to  the  rich 
even  if  traffic  had  ceased.  They  did  not 
suffer.  The  poor,  however,  were  greatly 
distressed,  for  they  now  had  nothing  to 
do.  They  besought  help  from  the  rich, 
but  their  prayers  fell  upon  deaf  ears. 

Not  long  afterward  a  little  leak  was  dis- 
covered in  the  dyke  which  protected  the 
city.  Through  this  the  sea  water  crept 
into  the  city  reservoir,  spoiling  all  the 
drinking  water. 

The  rich  people  only  laughed,  saying 
that  they  would  drink  champaign,  since 
water  was  not  to  be  had.  But  what  were 
the  poor  to  do?  They  crowded  around 
the  gates  of  the  rich,  imploring  a  sup  of 
beer,  but  were  rudely  driven  away. 

"It  would  be  a  good  thing,"  said  the 
rich,  "if  these  wretched  creatures  should 
actually  die.  Of  what  use  are  they  to 
themselves  or  to  any  one  else?" 


38  The  Sunken  City 

The  rich  of  Stavoren  had  had  their  last 
chance  to  do  good.  That  very  same  night 
when  the  revelers  had  returned  to  sleep, 
the  sea  broke  down  the  weakened  dykes. 
Bursting  in,  it  covered  up  the  whole  town. 

Over  the  spot  where  Stavoren  once 
stood  the  waves  now  glitter  in  the  bright 
sun  light  or  plunge  and  dash  when  the 
.cold  winds  come  sweeping  in  from  the  sea. 

Boatmen  come  rowing  up  from  the  des- 
olate little  fishing  town  which  now  bears 
the  name  of  the  ancient  city.  When  the 
waters  are  smooth  they  rest  upon  their 
oars  to  point  out  far  beneath  them  the 
spires  and  turrets  and  palaces  of  Sta- 
voren. 

The  streets  of  the  old  town  as  it  lies 
beneath  the  waves,  once  so  populous,  are 
deserted.  The  market  place  is  empty. 
No  sound  is  to  be  heard  except  when  some 
inquiring  fish,  swimming  through  the 
belfries,  strikes  one  of  the  bells  with  his 
tail.  Then  there  is  heard  a  sad  sound 
which  seems  to  be  tolling  the  knell  of  the 
sunken  city. 


THE  BIRD  OE  PARADISE 

There  once  lived  in  the  monastery  at 
Heisterbach  a  kindly  monk,  of  great  learn- 
ing and  simple  manners.  He  had  studied 
for  many  years  that  he  might  settle  some 
doubts  that  troubled  him. 

He  had  observed  that  people  grow  tired 
of  even  the  best  of  things.  They  desire 
to  behold  new  scenes,  to  hear  new  music,, 
and  to  taste  new  dishes. 

"I  wonder  if  it  will  be  so  in  Heaven," 
he  said  to  himself.  "Shall  we  not  grow 
weary  of  beauties  and  joys  of  Heaven  in 
the  endless  flow  of  ages?" 

This  question  perplexed  him  sorely;  but 
he  was  unable  to  answer  it  to  his  satis- 
faction. Wearied  with  the  doubt,  he  de- 
cided to  put  it  away  from  him  if  possible. 
So  one  beautiful  sunny  morning  in  sum- 
39 


40  The  Bird  of  Paradise 

mer  he  turned  his  steps  toward  the  woods 
that  stretched  away  for  miles  back  of  the 
monastery. 

It  was  such  a  morning  as  makes  one 
glad  to  be  alive.  Silvery  clouds  were 
floating  like  great  white  ships  across  the 
blue  sky.  The  gentle  breeze  was  playing 
among  the  branches  of  the  trees.  Flow- 
ers were  blooming  and  birds  were  singing 
happily  everywhere. 

Earth  seemed  to  breathe  forth  peace 
and  joy  for  all  mankind.  Beauty  and 
blessing  were  everywhere.  Yet,  with  all 
this  to  gladden  him,  Alfus  was  not  satis- 
fied.    His  heart  was  not  at  ease. 

"Alas !"  he  sighed,  "how  all  is  changed ! 
The  rapture  with  which  I  first  looked 
upon  this  lovely  scene,  is  gone.  The 
beauty  with  which  it  once  greeted  me  is 
no  more.     Why  must  it  be  so?" 

As  Alfus  was  pondering  on  this  thought 
he  wandered  on,  paying  no  attention  to  the 
path  he  was  following.  Hour  after  hour 
passed  and  still  he  walked  on,  until  finally 


The  Bird  of  Paradise  41 

he  became  weary  and  decided  to  rest.  He 
sat  down  on  a  mossy  bank  and  began  to 
look  about  him. 

It  was  a  beautiful  spot,  and  one  whicK 
he  had  never  visited  before,  although  he 
thought  he  was  familiar  with  every  place 
in  the  forest.  The  trees  were  tall  and 
leafy.  The  branches  stretched  out  form- 
ing beautiful  arches  above  him.  At  his 
feet  were  delicate  ferns  and  wild  flowers 
of  many  different  colors.  He  heard  the 
drowsy  hum  of  the  bee  and  saw  a  beau- 
tiful butterfly  flitting  about  from  flower 
to  flower. 

His  admiration  was  awakened.  It 
seemed  as  if  he  saw  a  new  beauty  in  the 
things  about  him,  and  he  forgot  that  he 
was  tired.  Suddenly  there  came  to  him 
the  song  of  a  bird  which  seemed  to  be  the 
sweetest  he  had  ever  heard.  He  looked 
and  saw  the  bird  perched  upon  a  tree 
nearby.  It  seemed  to  pour  forth  its  song 
in  one  strain  of  perfect  happiness.  It 
seemed  so  thrilling  and  so  beautiful  that 


42  The  Bird  of  Paradise 

Alfus  could  not  think  it  earthly.  With 
intense  delight  the  monk  leaned  back 
against  the  mossy  bank,  listening  to  the 
strain.  The  song  lasted  but  a  moment 
and  ceased  as  suddenly  as  it  had  begun. 
Alfus  desired  to  hear  it  again.  He  looked 
for  the  bird,  and  waited,  but  it  was  gone. 
Around  him  all  was  silence.  Even  the 
breeze  seemed  to  have  ceased  its  rustling 
among  the  leaves  of  the  trees.  The  monk 
slowly  rose  and  began  his  way  back 
through  the  woods  to  the  monastery. 

But  how  everything  seemed  to  have 
changed.  Could  it  be  that  he  was  in  a 
part  of  the  woods  he  had  never  visited  be- 
fore? He,  too,  did  not  seem  to  be  the 
same.  His  steps  were  now  halting  and 
slow,  and  all  his  body  seemed  feeble  and 
stiff.  As  he  looked  at  his  beard  he  saw 
that  it  was  gray. 

He  walked  on  in  amazement.  The 
trees  seemed  to  have  become  much  larger 
since  he  had  entered  the  forest.  Even  the 
bushes  had  grown   into  tall  trees.     He 


The  Bird  of  Paradise  43 

wondered  if  he  were  dreaming  or  if  he 
had  lost  his  mind. 

Slowly  and  painfully  he  picked  his  way 
back  through  the  dense  forest,  and  after 
several  hours  of  walking  came  to  the  open 
land.  Eagerly  he  looked  up  to  the  mon- 
astery, but  that  too  had  changed.  It  was 
older  and  grayer  than  before  and  seemed 
to  have  increased  in  size.  A  new  portion 
had  been  added,  and  the  entrance  gate 
was  not  the  same  which  had  stood  there 
when  he  left  in  the  morning.  Everything 
looked  older. 

What  could  have  happened?  He  had 
been  gone  but  a  few  hours,  yet  all  the 
world  had  changed.  It  seemed  as  if  he 
were  in  another  century.  Alfus  passed 
his  hand  across  his  eyes  as  if  to  clear  his 
sight  and  anxiously  walked  on.  As  he 
passed  the  fountain  at  the  village  he  saw 
some  women  washing,  but  they  were  new 
to  him;  yet  he  had  known  every  man 
woman  and  child  for  miles  around. 
Whence  had  these  strange  faces  come? 


44  The  Bird  of  Paradise 

"Look,"  cried  one  of  them  as  the  old 
man  passed  by.  "This  ancient  monk 
wears  the  dress  of  the  order,  yet  his  face 
is  new  to  me;  I  have  never  seen  him  be- 
fore.    Who  can  he  be?" 

To  this  strange  remark  Alfus  paid  no 
heed.  He  only  hastened  on  the  faster. 
He  was  beginning  to  doubt  his  senses. 
He  went  directly  to  the  gate  of  the  mon- 
astery. But  this  was  much  larger  than  it 
had  been  when  he  had  left.  He  rang  the 
bell.  The  sound  was  no  longer  the  same. 
The  silvery  peal  of  the  bell  he  had  known 
had  given  place  to  the  harsh  clang  of  a 
much  larger  one. 

At  length  there  came  a  young  monk  to 
open  the  door.  Alfus  was  amazed.  It 
was  a  stranger — a  man  whom  he  had 
never  seen  before.  He  gazed  at  him 
speechless. 

"What  has  happened,"  he  said.  "Why 
are  all  things  so  changed?  Where  is 
Brother  Antony?  Why  does  he  not  open 
the  door  as  usual?" 


The  Bird  of  Paradise  45 

"Brother  Antony !"  exclaimed  the  monk. 
"There  is  no  such  person  here.  I  am  the 
porter,  and  no  one  but  me  has  opened  this 
door  for  the  last  twenty  years." 
•  For  a  moment  poor  Alfus  stood  on  the 
threshold  as  if  petrified.  Then  he  be- 
held two  monks  slowly  passing  along  the 
corridor.  They,  too,  were  strangers,  but 
he  reached  forward  and  clutched  one  of 
them  by  the  gown. 

"Brethren,"  he  cried  in  agony,  "I  be- 
seech you  speak.  Tell  me  what  has  hap- 
pened. Only  a  few  hours  ago  I  left  the 
monastery  for  a  quiet  walk  in  the  woods, 
and  now  when  I  come  back,  behold,  all  is 
changed.  Where  is  the  Abbot?  Where 
are  my  companions?  Is  there  no  one 
here  who  remembers  Alfus?" 

"Alfus — Alfus,"  repeated  one  of  the 
monks  thoughtfully  to  himself.  "There 
has  been  no  one  of  that  name  here  for  a 
hundred  years.  There  was  once  a  man 
by  that  name  in  the  monastery,  but  he  dis- 
appeared long  ago.     I  remember  hearing 


46  The  Bird  of  Paradise 

about  him  when  I  was  a  small  lad,  but 
whether  the  story  is  true  or  not,  I  cannot 
tell. 

"He  went  one  morning,  as  was  often 
his  custom,  to  walk  in  the  forest  alone," 
the  monk  went  on,  "and  they  never  heard 
from  him  afterward.  The  monks  sought 
for  him  throughout  the  forest  day  after 
day,  but  no  trace  of  him  could  be  found. 
He  seemed  to  have  vanished  from  the 
earth.  The  Abbot  thought  that  God 
must  have  borne  him  up  to  Heaven  in  a 
chariot  of  fire  like  Elijah.  He  was  a  very 
holy  man,  indeed.  But  all  this  happened 
so  long  ago,  that  it  may  be  simply  a 
story." 

At  these  words  a  sudden  light  seemed 
to  shine  in  the  face  of  poor  Alfus.  He 
sank  to  his  knees  and  clasped  his  trem- 
bling hands  as  if  in  prayer. 

"Now  I  understand,  O  God,  that  a 
thousand  years  are  but  as  a  day  in  thy 
sight.  A  whole  century  passed  while  I 
held  my  breath  to  listen  to  the  song  of 


The  Bird  of  Paradise  47 

the  bird — the  bird  which  sings  at  the  gate 
of  Paradise.  Forgive  my  doubts,  O  Lord, 
and  grant  that  I  may  enter  into  thy  rest." 
As  the  monks  looked  at  Alfus  they  saw 
that  a  great  calm  had  settled  upon  his 
face.  A  radiant  smile  played  about  his 
lips.  He  sank  back  gently  upon  a  settle 
and  the  wondering  monks  crowded  about 
him,  but  to  their  astonishment  he  did  not 
move,  and  when  they  looked  more  closely 
they  saw  that  his  pure  soul  had  flown 
away  to  his  Heavenly  mansion,  there  to 
enjoy  endless  ages  of  unchanging  happi- 
ness. 


THE  BELL  OF  ATRI 

In  olden  times  there  lived  in  Italy  a 
kind-hearted  king.  He  was  sorry  for 
any  trouble  that  came  to  his  people,  and 
did  all  he  could  to  make  them  happy.  Be- 
cause of  his  goodness  the  people  called 
him  Good  King  John. 

"I  wish  all  of  my  people  to  be  just," 
said  the  king.  "And  I  wish  every  one  to 
be  treated  justly." 

Not  all  of  his  people  were  as  good  as 
King  John  himself.  Many  did  wrongs  to 
their  neighbors.  And  the  neighbors  com- 
plained to  the  good  King. 

"I  will  set  up  a  great  bell  in  the  market 
place,"  said  the  King  at  last.  "If  any  one 
is  wronged,  let  him  ring  the  bell.  He 
shall  have  justice." 

So  the  King  had  a  large  bell  set  up  in 
the  market  place,  where  any  one  could 

48 


The  Bell  of  Atrl  49 

ring  it.  Then  he  appointed  a  good  judge 
to  right  the  people's  wrongs. 

Many  people  rang  the  bell  in  the  years 
that  followed.  All  received  justice  and 
went  away  happy.  The  bell  was  used  so 
much  that  the  rope  was  worn  away  little 
by  little.  At  last  it  became  so  short  that 
many  people  could  not  reach  it.  Then 
some  one  fastened  a  piece  of  grape  vine 
to  the  rope. 

Now,  there  lived  in  Atri  an  old  Knight. 
In  his  younger  days  he  had  loved  to  hunt, 
and  had  kept  many  horses  and  dogs. 
Now  he  could  hunt  no  more,  and  so  sold 
all  his  horses  except  the  one  he  had  liked 
best. 

It  happened  that  the  old  Knight  began 
to  think  of  nothing  but  money.  He 
wished  to  be  very  rich. 

"What  is  the  use  of  keeping  this  one 
horse  ?"  he  asked  himself.  "He  does 
nothing  but  eat  and  sleep.  It  costs  too 
much  to  keep  him.  I  will  turn  him  out 
to  look  after  himself." 


50  The  Bell  of  Atri 

So  the  faithful  old  horse  was  turned 
out  into  the  street.  It  was  in  the  dry,  hot 
summer,  and  there  was  little  grass  to  be 
found.  The  horse  wandered  about  under 
the  burning  sun,  getting  a  bite  here  and 
a  bite  there. 

In  his  wandering  he  came  finally  to  the 
market  place.  He  saw  the  vine  hanging 
to  the  bell  rope. 

"These  leaves,"  he  thought,  "are  better 
than  nothing,  though  they  are  withered." 

He  began  to  pull  at  the  withered  leaves. 
The  very  first  pull  set  the  great  bell  to 
ringing  loudly.  The  poor  horse  was  so 
hungry  that  he  paid  no  attention  to  the 
ringing.  He  kept  on  eating,  and  the  bell 
rang  louder  and  louder. 

The  judge  heard  the  sounds,  and  won- 
dered who  was  ringing  the  bell  so  loudly. 
He  put  on  his  robe  and  hurried  to  the 
market  place. 

He  was  greatly  surprised  when  he  saw 
who  had  rung  the  bell.  He  felt  sorry  for 
the  poor  creature,  however. 


The  Bell  of  Atri  51 

"Even  the  dumb  beast,"  he  murmured, 
"shall  have  justice.  This  is  the  horse  of 
the  Knight  of  Atri." 

A  large  crowd  of  people  had  gathered 
in  a  few  minutes.  They  told  the  judge 
the  story  of  the  old  horse.  Their  stories, 
however,  did  not  agree.  The  judge, 
therefore,  decided  to  call  the  Knight  him- 
self. 

The  heartless  old  Knight  said  that  the 
horse  was  useless  to  him,  and  that  he 
could  not  take  care  of  him  any  longer. 
It  cost  too  much  money. 

"Did  he  not  always  do  his  duty  by  you?" 
asked  the  judge.  "Did  he  ever  refuse  to 
carry  you  to  the  hunt,  or  to  bring  you 
safely  home?" 

The  old  Knight  had  to  confess  that  the 
horse  had  always  been  faithful. 

"The  law  decides,  then,"  cried  the 
judge,  "that  you  shall  provide  him  shelter 
and  food  as  long  as  he  lives." 

At  this  decision  all  the  people  clapped 
their  hands  and  shouted  loudly. 


'52  The  Bell  of  Atri 

The  old  Knight  ordered  his  servant  to 
lead  the  horse  back  to  the  stable.  The 
people  followed,  cheering,  because  even  a 
dumb  animal  could  get  justice. 

The  fame  of  the  bell  of  Atri  spread 
abroad  through  all  Italy. 

To-day  people  know  very  little  about  the 
other  things  that  Good  King  John  did. 
They  simply  remember  him  as  the  king 
who  set  up  the  bell  of  justice  at  Atri. 


THE  POT  OF  HOT  PORRIDGE 

In  the  beautiful  land  of  Switzerland  is 
a  little  town  named  Zurich.  Not  far  from 
here  is  the  larger  city  of  Strasburg.  The 
people  of  Zurich  had  long  looked  with 
envy  on  the  larger  city  and  wanted  to  be- 
come a  part  of  it.  At  last  they  decided  to 
send  an  appeal  to  the  magistrates.  This 
they  did,  but  the  great  magistrate  of  Stras- 
burg bluntly  refused  the  honor  of  such  a 
union. 

"Zurich  is  of  no  importance,"  they  said, 
"and  besides  it  is  too  far  away  to  be  of 
any  help  in  time  of  need." 

When  the  councilors  of  Zurich  heard 
the  Strasburger's  answer,  they  were  very 
angry,  indeed.  They  even  talked  of  chal- 
lenging the  great  magistrates. 

"No,"  said  the  youngest  of  the  Zurich 
53 


54  The  Pot  of  Hot  Porridge 

councilors,  "I  will  make  them  eat  their 
words.  I  pledge  you  my  honor  that  I 
shall  bring  you  a  different  answer  before 
long." 

The  other  councilors  were  glad  to  be 
relieved  of  the  matter,  so  they  agreed  and 
returned  leisurely  to  their  dwellings.  The 
youngest  councilor  went  home  in  a  great 
hurry.  He  went  at  once  to  the  kitchen 
and  selected  the  biggest  pot  there. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  with  that?" 
asked  his  wife. 

"You  will  see,"  he  replied.  "Fill  it  with 
as  much  oatmeal  as  it  will  contain  and 
cook  it  as  quickly  as  possible." 

His  wife  wondered  much  at  this  strange 
command,  but  she  bade  her  servants  build 
a  roaring  fire.  This  they  did  and  soon 
the  great  pot  of  oatmeal  was  cooking. 
Then  such  a  time  as  they  had  stirring  the 
oatmeal  to  keep  it  from  burning. 

In  the  meantime,  the  youngest  councilor 
ran  down  to  the  quay  and  prepared  the 
swiftest  vessel.     He  collected  a  number 


The  Pot  of  Hot  Porridge  55 

of  the  best  oarsmen  and  when  all  was 
ready,  bade  two  of  them  accompany  him 
home. 

He  sprang  breathless  into  the  kitchen. 
The  oatmeal  was  ready. 

"Come  boys,"  he  cried,  "lift  the  vessel 
from  the  fire  and  run  down  to  the  boat 
with  it." 

He  followed  them  closely  and  saw  it 
placed  in  the  boat.  Then,  turning  to  the 
men,  he  exclaimed, 

"Now,  lads,  row  with  all  your  might. 
We  are  bound  to  prove  to  those  stupid  old 
Strasburgers  that  we  are  near  enough  to 
serve  them  a  hot  supper  in  case  of  need." 

Aroused  by  these  words,  the  youths 
bent  to  the  oars.  The  vessel  shot  down 
the  Simwat,  Aar,  and  Rhine,  leaving 
town,  village,  and  farms  in  its  wake. 
Never  did  it  stop  once  till  it  reached  the 
quay  at  Strasburg. 

The  councilor  sprang  ashore  and  bade 
the  two  youths  follow  with  the  huge  pot. 
He  strode  into  the  council  hall  and  had 


56  The  Pot  of  Hot  Porridge 

them  set  it  before  the  assembled  magis- 
trates. 

"Gentlemen,  Zurich  sends  you  a  warm 
answer  to  your  cold  refusal,"  he  exclaimed. 

With  open  mouths  the  Strasburgers 
gazed  at  the  still  steaming  pot.  When 
the  young  Zuricher  explained  how  it  got 
there  they  laughed  heartily.  They  were 
so  amused  with  the  wit  and  promptitude 
of  their  neighbors  that  they  voted  at  once 
to  grant  their  request. 

The  papers  for  the  alliance  were  signed 
and  sealed.  Then  the  great  magistrates 
called  for  spoons  and  ate  every  bit  of  the 
oatmeal.  They  called  it  excellent,  and  it 
proved  hot  enough  to  burn  more  than  one 
councilor's  mouth. 

Ever  since  then  this  huge  iron  pot  has 
been  known  as  the  "pot  of  alliance."  It 
has  been  carefully  kept  in  the  town  hall 
of  Strasburg,  where  it  can  still  be  seen. 


THE  SILVER  BELL 

In  the  ancient  city  of  Speyer,  there 
were  in  olden  times  two  great  bells.  Nei- 
ther one  of  these  was  ever  rung  by  human 
hands,  but  it  is  said  that  an  angel  came 
down  from  Heaven  at  night  to  ring  one 
of  these  bells  whenever  a  person  died. 

One  of  the  bells  was  of  iron.  It  was 
rung  whenever  the  soul  of  a  sinful  person 
took  its  flight.  The  other  bell  was  of  pure 
silver.  It  had  been  placed  in  the  tower 
by  a  baron.  He  had  erected  it  with  the 
understanding  that  it  should  never  be 
rung  until  there  came  a  person  who  really 
loved  his  fellow  men. 

When  this  bell  was  erected  it  was  muf- 
fled by  many  bands,  so  that  it  could  give 
forth  no  sound  until  it  had  been  placed 
carefully  in  the  tower. 

It  was  agreed  also,  that  if  no  person 
St 


58  The  Silver  Bell 

who  truly  loved  his  fellow  men  should  be 
found  within  the  space  of  thirty-three 
years,  the  bell  should  forever  remain  si- 
lent. It  was  to  be  a  witness  against  the 
unkindness  of  men. 

The  thirty-three  years  were  now  almost 
completed,  and  no  one  had  been  found  in 
the  whole  country  of  whom  it  could  be 
said  that  he  unselfishly  loved  his  fellows. 
Many  kind  deeds  had  been  done;  many 
brave  and  noble  services  had  been  per- 
formed; but  when  examined  closely,  there 
always  seemed  to  be  some  selfish  motive 
behind  them. 

The  people  of  the  valley  had  looked 
longingly  day  after  day  at  this  bell,  and 
had  hoped  and  prayed  that  some  one 
might  appear  for  whom  the  bell  could  be 
rung.  All  longed  to  hear  its  silver 
sound.  It  was  said  to  give  forth  the  most 
enchanting  music.  But  the  summers  and 
winters  came  and  went. 

The  young  people  who  had  seen  the  bell 
placed  in  the  tower  had  grown  old.     They 


The  Silver,  Bell  59 

had  waited  and  waited,  and  hope  began  to 
sink  in  their  hearts.  They  began  to  think 
that  they  should  never  hear  the  sound  of 
the  silver  bell. 

An  awful  pestilence  broke  out  in  the 
land.  There  was  no  one  who  knew  how 
to  save  the  wretched  people.  Gloom  set- 
tled down  over  the  whole  city.  It  seemed 
to  be  threatened  with  utter  destruction. 

Again  there  were  deeds  of  mercy  done; 
again  hearts  bled  with  sympathy  for  their 
fellows;  again  people  strove  to  find  out 
someone  who  was  truly  unselfish  in  his 
charity.  But  upon  examination  it  was 
found  that  people  pitied  their  friends,  and 
neglected  their  enemies.  They  wept  for 
those  near  them,  but  were  thoughtless  of 
those  whom  they  did  not  know.  Fathers 
and  mothers  were  brave  to  protect  their 
own  children,  but  careless  about  the  chil- 
dren of  other  people.  So,  though  there 
were  many  noble  deeds  done,  it  was  found 
that  they  were  not  the  result  of  a  deep 
love  for  mankind  in  general. 


6o  The  Silver.  Bell 

During  all  this  time  the  iron  bell  rang 
almost  continually.  It  rang  by  day,  and 
it  rang  by  night,  until  hope  and  cheerful- 
ness were  gone,  and  despair  and  fear  set- 
tled down  upon  every  household. 

The  King  of  this  land  was  a  handsome 
youth,  who  had  just  come  to  the  throne. 
He  had  always  had  everything  that  his 
heart  could  desire ;  and  was  not  trained  to 
bear  hardships  or  to  sympathize  with  the 
suffering  of  others.  No  one  hoped  to 
find  comfort  in  him,  or  relief  from  de- 
spair. 

At  night,  however,  when  the  city  was 
sunk  to  its  fitful  rest,  this  young  king- 
knelt  in  prayer  for  the  poor  and  the 
wretched,  and  then  rose  to  answer  his 
prayer  by  his  own  hand.  With  food  and 
clothes  he  loaded  his  horse  and  went  forth 
alone  through  the  city,  disguised  as  a 
peasant. 

Night  after  night  he  passed  through 
the  dark  and  wretched  streets,  carrying 
his    treasures    to    distribute    among    the 


The  Silver  Bell  61 

poor.  From  evening  until  daybreak  he 
labored  alone  to  relieve  the  suffering  of 
his  people.  Then  as  the  last  shadows 
fled  he  returned  to  his  palace  gate. 

The  people  at  last  began  to  hope  that  a 
truly  unselfish  soul  had  appeared.  They 
had,  however,  very  little  time  to  think  of 
this  matter  or  of  the  silver  bell  because  of 
their  wretchedness.  The  thought,  how- 
ever, that  there  was  some  one  to  care  for 
them  was  a  source  of  comfort  to  many. 
Joy  was  awakened  in  their  hearts,  and  joy 
brought  strength  to  them,  until  at  last  peo- 
ple returned  to  forge  and  field  to  perform 
their  usual  labors. 

The  man,  however,  who  had  come  to 
them  in  their  need  had  remained  con- 
cealed. No  one  had  found  out  or  even 
suspected  who  he  was.  Many  thought 
that  an  angel  had  come  to  them.  Many 
others  believed  that  it  was  the  work  of 
some  good  soul,  and  hoped  to  find  out  who 
it  was.  They  began  to  believe  that  the 
silver  bell  might  yet  be  rung. 


62  The  Silver  Bell 

At  last  they  went  to  the  king  and  be- 
sought him  to  issue  a  proclamation,  in 
order  that  he  might  find  out  the  person 
who  had  bestowed  so  many  bounties  upon 
them. 

"Surely,"  they  said,  "a  truly  unselfish 
soul  has  been  among  us,  although  we 
know  not  who  he  is." 

"My  good  people,"  replied  the  king,  "be 
contented.  Should  it  not  be  enough  that 
God  has  sent  his  servant  to  you  in  the 
hour  of  your  need?" 

"This  king,"  they  murmured,  "in  his 
wealth  and  power,  enjoying  the  blessings 
of  youth,  has  not  known  what  we  have 
suffered,  and  therefore  cannot  appreciate 
our  gratitude.  While  we  were  starving 
in  our  hovels,  he  was  sitting  in  his  castle, 
quaffing  wine.  We  can  expect  nothing 
from  him." 

"At  least,"  clamored  others,  "let  the 
great  bell  be  rung,  for  the  thirty-three 
years   are  now   almost  over.     We   shall 


The  Silver  Bell  63 

never  hear  its  notes  of  gladness  unless  it 
be  rung  today." 

"No,"  replied  the  king  still,  "but  if  you 
will,  go  and  pray  that  the  Lord  may  send 
His  angel  down  to  ring  the  bell,  if  in  His 
perfect  knowledge  he  sees  a  being  who  is 
worthy  of  the  honor." 

That  night  many  people  waited  before 
the  church,  praying  that  God  in  His  good- 
ness might  send  a  spirit  from  on  high  to 
ring  the  silver  bell. 

The  night  slowly  passed  away,  and  lo, 
the  sun's  first  rays  were  just  about  to 
come  up  over  the  mountains.  Suddenly 
the  sun  seemed  to  pause;  the  dusk  con- 
tinued. Then  there  came,  as  it  were,  a 
splendor  from  the  clouds,  the  brightness 
of  which  rested  on  the  church  and  its 
tower.  The  waiting  multitude  all  looked 
up  in  astonishment.  The  bell  began  to 
peal.  It  sent  forth  its  angelic  notes — 
notes  such  as  no  human  being  had  ever 
heard  before.     The  waiting  people  were 


64  The  Silver  Bell 

enraptured.  It  seemed  to  them  as  if  all 
the  Heavenly  Host  were  singing  for  joy. 

The  song  of  the  bell  was  of  peace  and 
good  will  toward  men.  The  sounds 
echoed  and  re-echoed  among  the  moun- 
tains, and  were  borne  away  to  the  farthest 
valleys. 

Just  as  the  first  light  of  the  sun  peeped 
up  over  the  horizon,  the  splendors  faded 
from  the  tower  and  in  their  stead  there 
appeared  the  figure  of  a  man  clad  in  light. 
Across  the  tower  there  seemed  to  be  a  row 
of  letters.  The  people  looked  up  and 
read:  "Behold,  the  man  who  loved  truly 
his  fellow  men." 

Then  everyone  fell  to  his  knees,  for 
there  stood  the  figure  of  their  King. 
Their  hearts  died  within  them,  when  they 
remembered  how  harshly  they  had  spoken 
of  him :  but  they  rejoiced  at  the  same  time 
to  know  that  it  was  he.  They  all  rose  up 
and  went  in  haste  to  honor  him  whom 
they  had  scorned  of  late. 

When   they   reached   the   palace   gate, 


The  Silver  Bell  6$ 

however,  they  were  not  permitted  to  enter. 
The  angel  who  had  rung  the  bell  had  en- 
tered the  palace  before  them,  and  had 
taken  away  with  him  the  imperial  soul 
that  had  unselfishly  loved  his  fellow  men. 


THE  TWO  BAKER  BOYS 

Many,  many  years  ago  the  people  in 
Germany  lived  in  little  towns  with  high 
walls  around  them.  They  built  walls 
around  their  towns  because  they  had 
quarrels  with  other  towns.  The  walls 
protected  them  against  their  enemies. 

Sometimes  people  kept  bee-hives  on  the 
high  walls.  The  bees  could  fly  away  into 
the  fields  outside  and  gather  honey. 
There  were  not  many  flowers  inside  the 
city  to  get  honey  from. 

One  morning  two  baker  boys  were 
hungry.  They  had  to  get  up  very  early. 
Some  fine  rolls  had  just  been  taken  from 
the  oven.  The  boys  thought  it  would  be 
fine  to  have  some  rolls  and  honey. 

"Let's  go  up  on  the  walls  and  get  some 
honey  out  of  one  of  the  hives,"  said 
John. 

66 


The   Two  Baker  Boys  67 

"But  the  bees  will  sting  us,"  answered 
James.  "Besides  the  watchman  on  the 
walls  might  see  us.  Then  we  would  be  in 
trouble  of  another  kind/1 

John,  however,  persuaded  James  to  go. 
The  two  boys  stole  out  of  the  shop,  and 
ran  across  the  street. 

In  a  few  minutes  they  were  creeping 
up  the  stairs  that  led  to  the  top  of  the 
wall. 

There  was  no  watchman  to  be  seen. 
He  had  gotten  sleepy  probably,  and  had 
gone  somewhere  to  rest.  But  there  was 
a  noise  coming  from  somewhere. 

The  boys  listened,  but  all  was  quiet 
again.  They  made  their  way  quietly 
along  the  wall  till  they  came  to  the  hives. 

Then  they  covered  their  faces  and  got 
ready  to  rob  the  bees  of  their  treasure. 
John  was  just  lifting  the  top  from  one  of 
the  hives,  when  he  heard  another  strange 
noise.     He  dropped  the  hive  hurriedly. 

The  noise  seemed  to  come  from  the  out- 
side of  the  wall.     The  boys  looked  over, 


68  The  Two  Baker  Boys 

and  saw  a  small  army.  It  was  the  people 
of  Linz,  who  had  come  to  attack  the  town. 

Both  boys  were  terribly  frightened  at 
first.  They  saw,  however,  that  some- 
thing must  be  done  to  save  the  town. 

"James,"  said  John,  "you  run  yonder 
and  ring  the  bell.  I  will  tumble  the  bee- 
hives down  on  their  heads." 

James  did  as  he  was  told.  John  pushed 
a  hive  over  the  wall.  It  fell  on  the 
leader's  head  and  went  to  pieces.  The 
bees  were  angry  at  being  disturbed  in  this 
way.  They  flew  at  the  men  and  stung 
their  hands  and  faces,  so  that  they  were 
glad  to  run  away. 

Another  bee-hive  came  tumbling  down 
and  then  another.  And  the  angry  bees 
put  the  whole  army  to  flight. 

By  this  time  the  bell  had  called  the 
people  out  to  defend  the  town.  But  the 
army  had  already  departed.  The  two 
boys  and  the  bees  had  saved  the  town. 

The  boys  were  not  punished.  Instead 
the  people  praised  them  for  their  wise 


The  Two  Baker  Boys  69 

acts.     It  was  decided  to  erect  a  monument 
in  their  honor. 

One  of  the  boys  afterwards  became 
mayor  of  the  city.  The  other  was  long 
known  as  the  most  famous  baker  of  his 
time. 


THE  EMPEROR'S  WOOING 

The  little  town  of  Caub  is  very  old. 
Above  it  in  olden  days  rose  the  Castle  of 
Gutenfels.  Here  many  years  ago  lived 
Philip,  Count  of  Faulkenstein  and  his  only 
sister,  Guda.  This  brother  and  sister 
were  orphans,  and  lived  together  there 
happily. 

Many  suitors  had  come  to  seek  the  hand 
of  the  beautiful  Guda,  but  she  was  happy 
in  her  brother's  love  and  wished  no  other. 
Often  Pihlip  urged  her  to  choose  a  hus- 
band from  among  the  many  wooers. 

"My  dear  sister,"  he  said,  "the  time 
may  come  when  I  shall  have  to  leave  you. 
War  may  break  out  at  any  time." 

"I  have  no  desire  for  any  love  or  protec- 
tion except  yours,  my  dear  Philip.     I  have 
never  seen  anyone  as  yet  who  has  made 
me  wish  to  leave  you." 
70 


The  Emperor's  Wooing  71 

Count  Philip  and  Guda  used  to  be  a  great 
ideal  together;  where  one  went  the  other 
went,  too.  So  when  the  great  tourna- 
ment was  held  at  Cologne  they  set  out  to- 
gether to  see  it.  The  tournament  was 
attended  by  a  large  number  of  knights. 
One  of  them  seemed  to  be  greatly  at- 
tracted by  Guda's  beauty.  He  had  won 
all  the  prizes  in  the  contest,  and  yet  re- 
mained unknown  to  everyone  except  the 
bishop. 

The  manners  and  conversation  of  the 
unknown  knight  pleased  everyone,  and 
especially  the  Count  of  Faulkenstein.  So 
much  was  he  charmed  by  the  bearing  of 
the  victorious  knight  that  he  invited  him 
to  visit  his  castle  at  Gutenfels.  This  in- 
vitation the  knight  eagerly  accepted. 

Philip  and  Guda  welcomed  him  warmly 
and  were  very  much  delighted  with  their 
new  friend.  The  stranger's  admiration 
for  Guda  became  more  and  more  plain; 
day  by  day  he  grew  fonder  of  the  beauti- 
ful girl. 


72  The  Emperors  Wooing 

"I  should  delight  in  lingering  here  for- 
ever," he  said  at  last. 

This,  however,  could  not  be,  for  there 
was  a  great  war  in  Germany.  The  Em- 
peror had  died  leaving  no  heir,  so  there 
were  many  who  claimed  the  right  to  the 
throne.  Richard  of  Cornwall  had  most 
supporters.  Many  of  the  nobles  had  de- 
clared for  him,  and  were  ready  to  take  up 
arms  in  his  behalf. 

Among  those  who  departed  for  the  war 
was  Philip  Faulkenstein.  He  set  out, 
leaving  behind  him  his  guest,  who  prom- 
ised to  follow  within  three  days,  to  fight 
by  his  side. 

"Before  I  go,"  he  declared,  "I  must  re- 
ceive a  certain  message." 

Two  days  later  the  message  came.  In 
the  meantime  the  knight  had  won  Guda's 
love  and  her  promise  to  wait  for  him 
until  his  return.  So  Guda  was  left  alone 
in  the  Castle  of  Gutenfels.  Many  hours 
she  spent  thinking  about  her  absent  lover 
and  wishing  for  his  return. 


The  Emperor's  Wooing  73 

At  last  the  war  was  ended  and  her 
brother  came  back,  yet  Guda  was  not 
happy.  She  began  to  grow  anxious,  for 
she  had  received  no  tidings  from  her 
knight. 

Weeks  passed  by.  The  anxious  days 
stole  the  color  from  her  cheeks.  At  last 
she  withdrew  to  her  chamber  in  sorrow, 
for  she  was  sure  that  her  knight  was  dead. 
She  did  not  even  wish  to  appear  when  the 
new  Emperor,  Richard  of  Cornwall  came 
to  visit  her  brother  at  the  castle. 

When  the  Imperial  Guest  came  he  was 
clad  from  head  to  foot  in  heavy  armor. 
He  refused  even  to  raise  his  vizor. 

"I  have  come,"  he  said,  "on  a  personal 
errand.  I  have  often  heard  of  the  great 
beauty  of  your  sister  Guda  and  I  wish  to 
make  her  Empress." 

Philip  was  overjoyed  at  the  prospect  of 
such  a  happy  marriage  for  his  sister. 
Joyfully  he  bore  the  Emperor's  offer  to 
her. 

"Alas,  my  brother,"  she  said,  "it  is  im- 


74  The  Emperor's  Wooing 

possible  for  me  to  accept  the  Emperor's 
love;  mine  belongs  to  another." 

When  her  reply  was  carried  to  the 
Emperor,  he  listened  calmly,  without  the 
least  sign  of  displeasure. 

"May  I,"  he  said,  "have  the  pleasure  of 
beholding  the  lady?  Perhaps  I  may  be 
able  to  win  a  more  favorable  answer." 

With  vizor  still  lowered,  and  speaking 
in  muffled  tones,  the  Emperor  addressed 
Guda. 

"Why,  fair  lady,  do  you  refuse  the  suit 
of  your  Emperor?  Forget  your  former 
lover;  he  is  either  dead  or  faithless." 

"Sire,"  she  replied,  "you  do  me  the 
greatest  honor  in  the  world,  yet  can  I  not 
accept  it.  I  must  remain  true  to  him  to 
whom  I  have  given  my  love.  He  may  be 
dead,  but  I  am  sure  he  is  not  faithless." 

At  this  the  Emperor  threw  up  his  vizor 
and  clasped  Guda  in  his  arms.  As  she 
looked  into  his  bright  face,  she  recognized 
him  who  had  won  her  love  as  a  simple 
knight. 


\The  Emperor's  Wooing  73 

She  no  longer  refused  to  listen  to  his 
suit.  Soon  afterward  she  married  Rich- 
ard Cornwall  and  became  Empress  of 
Germany. 


THE  MAGIC  RING 

Charlemange  was  king  of  France  and 
emperor  of  Germany.  He  had  married  a 
beautiful  eastern  princess,  whose  name 
was  Frastrada.  His  love  for  her  was  so 
great  that  his  only  thought  was  to  give 
her  happiness.  All  wondered  at  his  de- 
votion, but  none  suspected  the  cause. 

Frastrada  had  a  wonderful  gold  ring. 
On  it  were  inscribed  mystic  signs. 
Frastrada  wore  the  ring  continually,  and 
it  was  this  magic  talisman  that  had 
worked  such  a  charm. 

But  the  new  queen  did  not  long  enjoy 
her  power.  A  great  illness  overtook  her. 
During  this  time  she  thought  often  of  the 
magic  treasure  and  feared  it  would  pass 
into  other  hands.  So  she  slipped  the  ring 
from  her  finger  into  her  mouth  and  quietly 
breathed  her  last. 

76 


The  Magic  Ring  77 

The  Emperor  was  quite  overcome  with 
grief.  He  refused  to  have  the  queen 
taken  to  the  cathedral,  but  stayed  con- 
stantly by  her  side. 

In  vain  the  councilors  and  courtiers 
plead  with  him.  In  vain  Turpin,  the 
prime  minister,  told  him  that  the  people 
had  need  of  him.  He  refused  to  leave  the 
chamber  where  the  queen  lay,  or  to  par- 
take of  food.  At  last  he  fell  asleep  at  his 
post. 

Turpin  felt  convinced  that  the  queen 
possessed  some  charm,  so  he  stole  noise- 
lessly to  her  bedside.  After  some  time  he 
found  the  ring.  He  concealed  it  in  his 
own  clothing,  and  sat  down  to  wait  for 
Charlemange  to  awaken. 

Soon  the  Emperor  opened  his  eyes. 
He  turned  from  the  queen  with  a  shudder. 

"Turpin,  my  faithful  friend!"  he  cried, 
as  he  threw  himself  in  the  arms  of  the 
prime  minister.  "Your  presence  is  like 
balm  to  my  wounded  heart!  You  shall 
remain  by  my  side  forever!" 


78  The  Magic  Ring 

From  that  time  on,  Turpin  was  forced 
to  accompany  Charlemange  wherever  he 
went.  The  courtiers  wondered  at  Tur- 
pin's  influence.  Many  of  them  were  quite 
jealous.  As  for  poor  Turpin,  he  was 
wearied  beyond  all  expression.  He  could 
find  no  rest  either  by  night  or  by  day. 
Vainly  he  sought  for  some  plan  by  which 
he  might  rid  himself  of  the  troublesome 
gem. 

At  length  it  happened  that  Charle- 
mange and  Turpin  set  out  from  the  palace 
of  Ingelheim  on  a  journey  to  the  north. 
They  camped  one  night  in  a  great  forest. 
While  his  master  lay  asleep  Turpin  left 
the  camp  and  wandered  out  into  the 
moonlight  alone.  Not  once  before,  since 
he  had  found  the  ring,  had  he  been  free 
from  the  Emperor. 

His  heart  swelled  with  a  feeling  of  re- 
lief as  he  plunged  into  the  pathless  forest. 
On  and  on  he  wandered,  trying  to  think 
of  some  way  to  rid  himself  of  the  trouble- 


The  Magic  Ring  79 

some  ring.  Like  Frastrada,  he  did  not 
want  anyone  else  to  come  into  possession 
of  it  and  thus  get  such  an  influence  over 
the  Emperor. 

After  long  wandering  he  found  himself 
at  the  opening  of  a  beautiful  glade.  Be- 
fore him  lay  a  quiet  pool  embosomed  in 
the  dark  woods.  The  moonlight  flooded 
the  retired  spot  and  shone  like  silver  over 
the  deep  and  quiet  waters. 

Turpin  was  lost  in  admiration.  He  sat 
down  on  a  stone  and  feasted  his  eyes  in 
silence  on  the  peaceful  beauty  of  the 
scene.  Soon  the  thought  of  the  magic 
ring  came  to  disturb  his  happiness. 

"What  shall  I  do  with  it?"  he  groaned. 

He  drew  it  from  its  hiding  place  in  his 
breast  and  examined  it  closely. 

"Ah!"  he  muttered,  "what  is  this  I 
see?" 

He  noticed  by  the  pale  light  of  the  moon 
that  the  ring  bore  something  else  beside 
the  strange  signs.     On  it  was  the  image 


80  The  Magic  Ring 

of  a  tiny  swan.  He  looked  at  it  in  amaze- 
ment; for  he  had  never  seen  the  swan  be- 
fore. 

He  started  up,  then  stopped  suddenly. 

'Why  not?"  he  asked  himself.  'Those 
deep  and  quiet  waters  would  soon  close 
over  and  conceal  the  ring  forever." 

A  moment  later  the  jewel  flashed  be- 
neath the  rays  of  the  moon.  A  slight 
splash  was  borne  along  by  the  night  air. 
Ever  widening  ripples  broke  the  mirror- 
like surface  of  the  pool.  In  the  distance 
a  snowy  swan  appeared  sailing  with 
stately  calm  over  the  ruffled  waters. 

Delighted  to  be  rid  of  the  hateful  jewel, 
Turpin  now  made  his  way  back  to  the 
tent.  Charlemange  was  awake  and 
greeted  him  as  in  the  days  of  old.  The 
charm  was  broken. 

The  morning  sun  rose  bright  and  clear. 
The  Emperor,  however,  became  restless. 
He  proposed  that  they  tarry  in  the  spot 
another  day  and  hunt  in  the  forest.  Tur- 
pin agreed,  and  soon  the  forest  echoes 


■■.■'J'  "SC;;f-, -„'-: 


■^J^^ftfi^K&i 


The  Magic  Ring  8 1 

were  awakened  by  the  clangor  of  the 
hunting  horns. 

A  royal  stag  was  started  from  covert. 
Closely  the  huntsmen  and  hounds  fol- 
lowed it.  At  last,  panting  and  exhausted, 
it  was  brought  to  bay  in  a  remote  glade, 
— the  very  place  which  Turpin  had  visited 
the  night  before. 

Charlemange  had  been  foremost  in  the 
chase  all  the  morning.  Now  he  sat  mo- 
tionless in  his  saddle,  gazing  in  spell- 
bound admiration  at  the  sunny  stretch  of 
water.  He  observed  the  reflection  of  the 
blue  sky,  and  the  swans  gliding  over  its 
smooth  surface. 

"Ah!  how  beautiful!"  he  exclaimed. 
"I  would  fain  linger  here  forever." 

Then  he  dismounted  and  threw  himself 
down  upon  the  smooth  grass  by  the  edge 
of  the  pool.  There  he  remained  in 
dreamy  content  all  day  long. 

At  last  the  shadows  began  to  lengthen. 
The  glow  of  the  setting  sun  was  reflected 
in  the  miniature  lake.     Charlemange  was 


82  The  Magic  Ring 

so  enchanted  with  the  scene  that  he  vowed 
to  build  a  castle  there.  The  vow  was 
kept,  and  the  structure  that  arose  was  the 
beginning  of  Charlemange's  capital  and 
favorite  city,  Aix-la-Chapelle. 

When  many  years  had  passed,  death 
came  to  the  great  Emperor.  He  was  laid 
at  rest  in  the  cathedral  vault,  not  far  from 
the  spot  he  loved  so  well. 

Strangers  visiting  Aix-la-Chapelle  are 
told  not  to  visit  the  magic  pool  by  moon- 
light. At  the  mystic  hour  when  Turpin 
dropped  the  ring  into,  the  quiet  waters, 
the  spell  recovers  all  its  former  powers. 
Accordingly,  should  any  one  visit  it  at 
that  time,  his  longing  heart  would  always 
lead  him  back  to  the  charmed  spot,  how- 
ever far  away  he  might  be  wandering  in 
the  wide  world. 


CHARLEMAGNE'S  GENEROSITY 

Charlemagne  had  had  a  new  palace 
built  for  him  in  a  beautiful  spot  near  the 
Rhine.  When  it  was  completed  he  went 
to  visit  it.  The  first  night  that  he  slept 
in  the  palace,  a  very  strange  incident  oc- 
curred. An  angel  came  and  stood  by  his 
bedside. 

"Arise,"  it  seemed  to  say  to  him, 
"arise,  go  forth  and  enter  secretly  the 
house  of  Arnot." 

The  Emperor  was  so  astonished  at  this 
command  that  he  did  not  know  what  to 
to.  He  could  scarcely  believe  that  such 
an  order  could  come  from  an  angel,  so 
he  did  not  move,  but  the  command  was 
repeated,  and  then  repeated  again. 

When  the  angel  commanded  him  the 
third  time  to  go  and  enter  secretly  the 
house  of  Arnot,  he  arose,  went  quietly  to 
83 


84  Charlemagne's  Generosity 

his  stable,  saddled  his  horse  himself,  and 
rode  silently  out  into  the  darkness,  in  the 
direction  of  the  home  of  Arnot,  one  of  his 
most  trusted  ministers. 

As  he  was  going  along  the  dark  way 
thoughtfully,  he  heard  someone  approach- 
ing, and  he  soon  perceived  that  it  was  a 
knight  clad  in  dark  armor.  Charlemagne 
could  think  of  no  good  mission  upon  which 
a  man  could  be  riding  at  such  an  hour ;  so 
he  challenged  the  man. 

"Whither  goest  thou,  and  upon  what 
mission  at  this  hour  of  the  night?"  he  de- 
manded. 

The  knight  did  not  answer,  but  put 
spurs  to  his  horse  and  charged  upon  the 
Emperor.  Seeing  this  movement,  the  Em- 
peror did  likewise,  and  the  two  met  with 
a  violent  shock.  Both,  were  unhorsed, 
and  in  the  hand  to  hand  conflict  which 
followed,  the  Emperor  got  the  better  of 
the  unknown  knight  and  brought  him  to 
the  ground.  With  his  sword  at  the 
throat  of  the  knisrht  he  demanded  his  name. 


Charlemagne's  Generosity  85 

"I  am  Elbegast,"  he  replied,  "a  notori- 
ous robber  knight,  and  have  committed 
many  a  bold  deed.  Thou  art  the  first  that 
has  had  power  to  overcome  me." 

"Arise,"  said  the  Emperor,  without 
telling  who  he  was,  "and  come  with  me. 
I  am  on  a  mission  like  thine  own." 

Without  hesitating,  the  robber  knight 
joined  his  conqueror. 

"I  have  vowed,"  said  the  Emperor,  "not 
to  return  home  until  I  have  broken  into 
the  house  of  the  Emperor's  most  trusted 
minister."  So  sayings  he  led  the  way  to 
the  house  of  Arnot. 

Elbegast  was  not  long  in  gaining  en- 
trance. Bidding  his  companion  wait  for 
him  outside,  he  stole  noiselessly  into  the 
house. 

As  he  approached  the  bed  room  of  the 
minister,  the  sound  of  voices  in  earnest 
conversation  came  to  his  ears.  He  lis- 
tened, and  heard  the  minister  disclose  to 
his  wife  a  plan  for  the  murder  of  the  Em- 
peror on  the  following  day. 


86  Charlemagne's  Generosity 

Forgetting  the  purpose  for  which  he 
had  come  to  the  house,  the  knight  made 
his  way  hastily  back  to  his  companion  and 
besought  him  to  go  at  once  to  Charle- 
magne and  inform  him  of  the  coming 
danger. 

"I,  myself  would  gladly  go  to  save  the 
Emperor's  life,  but  I  would  surely  get  into 
trouble,  because  of  my  many  evil  deeds, 
and  more  than  likely  the  Emperor  would 
not  believe  me.  But  whatever  I  have 
done,  I  hold  great  admiration  for  the  man 
who  has  never  been  conquered  in  battle, 
and  who  has  always  worked  for  the  good 
of  his  people." 

Then  Charlemagne  and  Elbegast  parted, 
one  returning  to  his  stronghold  in  the 
mountains  and  the  other  retracing  his 
steps  slowly  and  thoughtfully  to  his  pal- 
ace. 

On  the  morrow  the  ministers  attempted 
to  carry  out  the  plot  which  they  had 
formed  against  the  Emperor;  but  their 
plans  were  thwarted.     Charlemagne  took 


The  Silver  Bridge  91 

monarch's  spirit  passes  across  the  Rhine. 

He  glides  back  and  forth,  bestowing  his 
blessing  on  everything  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. Every  little  village,  every  cottage, 
every  hill  and  valley,  the  vineyards,  the 
shore,  and  the  great  peaceful  river  itself 
— all  receive  his  blessing. 

Last  of  all  he  visits  the  palace  which  he 
built  here  and  called  Ingelheim,  or  Angel's 
Home.  From  here  he  returns  to  his  rest 
again. 

The  people  in  this  little  valley  are  said 
to  be  more  prosperous  than  those  of  any 
other  locality  along  the  Rhine.  They  are 
also  more  happy  and  more  healthy. 
Their  vineyards  are  always  richly  laden 
with  beautiful  clusters  of  grapes. 

If  at  any  time  their  vineyards  do  not 
bear,  the  people  know  that  for  some  mys- 
terious reason  the  spirit  of  Charlemagne 
failed  to  pay  the  yearly  visit.  They  look 
forward,  however,  to  the  coming  year, 
knowing  that  their  harvest  will  be  greater 
than  ever. 


92  The  Silver  Bridge 

The  great  spirit  of  the  Emperor  never 
fails  them  two  years  together.  So  cen- 
tury after  century  Charlemagne  has  be- 
stowed his  blessing  on  this  country  that 
he  loved.  On  moonlight  nights  the  peo- 
ple along  the  river  will  point  out  to  you 
the  silver  bridge  on  which  he  passes  back 
and  forth  over  the  river  visiting  blessing 
upon  everyone. 


THE  PET  RAVEN 

Over  the  gate  of  the  Castle  of  Stolzen- 
fels  is  the  figure  of  a  Raven.  It  has  been 
there  for  several  hundred  years.  It  was 
placed  there  in  gratitude  for  the  help  a 
pet  raven  had  rendered  the  Princess  at  a 
time  when  she  was  in  great  danger. 

Othmar  and  Williswind  were  brother 
and  sister.  Since  the  death  of  their  par- 
ents they  had  lived  together  in  the  beau- 
tiful castle,  and  had  grown  to  love  each 
other  dearly.  They  were  always  to- 
gether. 

The  time  came  when  war  broke  out, 
and  Othmar  was  called  away.  His  going 
grieved  Williswind  sorely.  Now  she 
would  have  no  one  but  the  servants  with 
her  in  the  great  Castle. 

"My    dear    brother,"    she    exclaimed, 
"what  shall  I  do  without  you?" 
93 


94  The  Pet  Raven 

''Sister  mine,"  replied  Othmar,  "I 
grieve  to  leave  you  thus  alone,  but  you 
know  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  do  other- 
wise." 

Othmar  took  with  him  all  the  able  bod- 
ied men.  Only  the  old  men,  women  and 
children  were  left  at  home  to  protect  his 
sister. 

In  those  days  many  lawless  robber 
knights  roamed  through  the  forests,  do- 
ing whatever  pleased  them.  Afraid  of 
these,  Williswind  ordered  that  the  Castle 
gates  should  be  kept  closed  all  the  time. 

One  evening  as  she  sat  in  the  great  hall 
of  the  Castle  with  her  servants  about  her, 
a  trumpet  sounded  at  the  gate.  The 
women  stopped  their  spinning,  and  the 
men  ceased  their  polishing  of  arms  and 
armor.  The  Warder  entered  announc- 
ing that  there  was  a  pilgrim  at  the  gate 
begging  for  shelter. 

"Admit  him  at  once,"  said  Williswind. 

In  a  few  moments  the  Warder  returned, 
accompanied  by  the  pilgrim. 


The  Pet  Raven  95 

"Be  welcome  to  our  cheer,  stranger. 
Such  as  we  have  we  give  freely,"  said 
.Williswind. 

"Thanks,  fair  lady,  for  your  kindness," 
replied  the  stranger,  glancing  about  the 
room. 

The  pilgrim  was  clad  in  worn  gar- 
ments, yet  did  not  seem  like  a  beggar.  At 
times  cruelty  and  cunning  appeared  in  his 
face.  Secretly  he  looked  about  as  if  to 
examine  every  part  of  the  castle.  His 
strange  manner  caused  Williswind  great 
uneasiness.  The  thought  came  to  her 
that  he  might  possibly  be  a  robber  knight 
in  disguise. 

In  the  morning,  however,  the  pilgrim 
departed  peaceably,  and  the  young  prin- 
cess felt  calm  once  more.  The  days 
passed  quietly  by  and  Williswind  began 
to  look  forward  to  her  brother's  return. 
One  morning  the  pilgrim  suddenly  re- 
turned, but  not  this  time  in  pilgrims  gar- 
ments. He  was  clad  in  full  armor,  and 
came  with  a  large  number  of  followers. 


g6  The  Pet  Raven 

"I  come,"  he  said,  "to  demand  the  hand 
of  the  Princess  Williswind  in  marriage, 
and  if  she  denies  me  I  will  take  her  by 
force." 

"I  beseech  you,"  replied  Williswind, 
"depart  and  leave  me  in  peace.  I  have 
love  for  none  but  my  brother,  and  desire 
only  to  be  left  here  with  my  servants  to 
await  quietly  his  return." 

But  the  evil  knight  only  repeated  his 
demand,  saying  that  he  would  return  in 
three  days  for  an  answer.  If  at  the  end 
of  that  time  Williswind  did  not  consent 
freely,  he  would  take  the  Castle  by  force 
and  carry  her  away. 

What  was  to  be  done?  Her  brother 
was  too  far  away  to  come  to  her  aid.  She 
decided,  however,  to  send  a  message  to 
him,  asking  him  to  come  at  once. 

Knowing  that  it  would  be  unsafe  for 
the  princess  to  remain  in  the  Castle  the 
old  Warder  persuaded  Williswind  to  set 
out  for  a  Convent,  which  was  not  many 
miles  away. 


The  Pet  Raven  97 

The  robber  knight,  however,  had  left 
spies  all  about  the  castle  and  the  princess 
had  not  gone  very  far  with  her  followers, 
when  they  were  overtaken  by  the  knight 
himself. 

The  servants  with  Williswind  fought 
bravely,  but  they  were  soon  overcome. 
The  bold  knight  carried  Williswind  and 
her  maid  oft  to  a  lonely  tower  in  the 
woods. 

"Here  I  shall  leave  you,"  he  said;  "but 
I  will  return  in  three  days  to  receive  your 
answer." 

Then  he  locked  the  heavy  door,  and  left 
them  alone.  The  two  captives  looked 
about  for  means  of  escape,  but  they  found 
only  thick  walls  and  heavily  barred  doors 
and  windows.  All  about  them  was  noth- 
ing but  wilderness,  so  they  could  expect 
aid  from  no  passerby.  Escape  was  hope- 
less. 

They  looked  about  the  tower  for  food 
and  water,  but  none  was  to  be  found. 
The  unhappy  girls  sat  and  waited  anx- 


98  The  Pet  Raven 

iously.  They  looked  through  the  barred 
windows.  The  hours  seemed  days.  Sud- 
denly Williswind  gave  a  cry  of  joy. 

"Oh,  look,"  she  said,  "yonder  is  my  pet 
raven." 

She  whistled  to  the  raven.  It  recog- 
nized her  voice  and  came  at  once.  She 
and  Othmar  had  spent  many  happy  hours 
together,  teaching  the  raven  to  do  vari- 
ous things.  Among  other  things,  it  had 
learned  to  bring  berries. 

The  bird  at  once  seemed  to  understand 
everything,  and  went  out  into  the  woods. 
Soon  it  returned  with  a  few  berries. 
Back  and  forth  it  went  during  the  whole 
day,  bringing  berries  to  the  two  hungry 
girls.  The  next  day  and  the  day  after, 
it  kept  them  supplied  with  this  kind  of 
food. 

On  the  third  day  the  robber  knight  re- 
appeared. He  felt  sure  that  Williswind 
would  by  this  time  be  ready  to  agree  to 
accept  him,   but  his  hope  was   in   vain. 


The  Pet  Raven  99 

The  food  which  the  bird  had  brought  had 
increased  her  courage. 

"Not  for  all  the  wealth  of  India,"  she 
said,  "would  I  consent  to  your  proposal." 

Angrily  the  knight  rode  away,  declar- 
ing that  he  would  return  again  in  three 
days  more.  The  time  passed  very  slowly 
in  the  gloomy  tower.  In  spite  of  the 
raven's  faithful  visits,  the  girls  became 
faint  and  weak  from  hunger. 

On  the  sixth  day  Williswind  was  sit- 
ting at  the  window,  watching  eagerly  for 
the  bird's  return.  Suddenly  she  saw  the 
figure  of  a  knight  come  from  the  thicket. 
As  she  looked  at  him,  she  saw  that  it  was 
not  the  robber  knight;  his  armor  was  en- 
tirely different.  Hope  came  to  her  at 
once,  and  she  called  out  loudly  and  waved 
her  handkerchief  through  the  bars. 

The  knight  heard  the  call  and  turned  in 
the  direction  of  the  tower.  Williswind 
uttered  a  cry  of  rapture;  it  was  her 
brother.     In  his  haste  to  reach  home  as 


ioo  The  Pet  Raven 

quickly  as  possible,  he  had  taken  this  path 
through  the  forest. 

Just  at  this  moment  the  robber  knight 
came  riding  up.  Seeing  Othmar  he  chal- 
lenged him  to  fight.  Down  across  the 
open  space  before  the  tower  the  two  horses 
came,  and  met  with  a  loud  clash  -in  the 
center.  Othmar  held  his  saddle,  but  the 
robber  knight  was  stretched  upon  the 
ground. 

Othmar  was  not  a  little  surprised  when 
he  entered  the  old  Castle  to  find  that  it 
was  his  beloved  sister  who  had  called  to 
him  from  the  tower.  It  was  not  long  be- 
fore Williswind  was  safe  once  more  in  the 
beautiful  Castle  of  Stolzenfels. 

Othmar  was  greatly  pleased  at  the  skill 
with  which  the  raven  had  provided  for  his 
sister,  so  he  adopted  a  new  Coat-of-Arms, 
with  the  raven  as  his  emblem,  and  set  the 
little  figure  above  the  gate  of  the  Castle, 
to  tell  to  all  the  world  the  story  of  the 
faithful  raven. 


THE  NIGHT  OF  THE  STOLEN 
TREASURE 

Little  Hans  and  his  mother  were 
standing  down  by  the  Mummelsee.  It 
was  a  big  round  sheet  of  water,  'sur- 
rounded by  rocky  slopes.  On  these  grew 
dark  pine  trees,  which  cast  their  shadows 
far  out  into  the  water. 

The  water  lay  quietly  sleeping  in  its 
dark  bed.  The  stillness  made  little  Hans 
thoughtful,  and  he  crept  close  to  his 
mother. 

"Why  is  the  water  so  still?"  lie  whis- 
pered; "and  the  fish, — where  are  they?" 

"Listen,"  answered  his  mother,  "and  I 
will  tell  you  a  story.  There  are  no  longer 
any  fish  in  the  Mummelsee;  they  left  it 
many,  many  years  ago.  The  place  is 
haunted  by  Mummel,  a  great  water  god, 

IOI 


ioz     The  Night  of  the  Stolen   Treasure 

and  by  his  daughters,  the  beautiful  water 
sprites. 

"Long  years  ago,"  the  mother  went  on, 
"a  man  committed  a  great  crime  in  order 
that  he  might  get  a  rich  treasure.  In  his 
flight  he  came  to  the  Mummelsee.  He 
could  not  swim  across  with  the  bag  of 
treasure!  What  should  he  do?  He 
knew  that  he  would  be  caught  unless  he 
did  something  at  once. 

"  'Ah !  I  will  just  drop  it  into  the  edge 
of  the  lake,'  he  said  to  himself.  'The 
water  is  dark  and  no  one  will  be  able  to 
find  the  Treasure.  I  will  hide  myself  in 
the  thick  bushes,  and  there  I  will  be  safe 
also/ 

"He  crawled  into  the  bushes  where  they 
were  thickest.  But  something  was 
wrong;  the  bushes  seemed  like  so  many 
hands,  that  caught  hold  of  him,  and  held 
him  fast.  He  could  not  move.  He 
struggled  and  struggled,  but  the  more  he 
fought  against  them,  the  more  firmly  they 
held  on. 


The  Night  of  the  Stolen   Treasure      103 

"He  gave  up  the  struggle,  and  lay  quiet, 
looking  out  upon  the  dark  water.  He 
saw  something  that  was  still  more 
strange.  What  could  it  be?  It  looked 
like  the  form  of  a  giant  rising  from  the 
water.  The  face  was  sterner  than  any 
he  had  ever  seen." 

"What  was  it,  mother?"  asked  little 
Hans;  "was  it  a  ghost?" 

"It  was  Mummel,  the  great  angry  god, 
who  haunts  the  lake.  He  had  never  al- 
lowed his  peace  to  be  disturbed  in  the 
slightest  way.  No  one  could  throw  even 
a  pebble  into  the  lake  without  being  pun- 
ished by  him. 

"Now  he  rose  out  of  the  water;  and 
seized  the  frightened  man.  The  bushes 
let  go  their  hold  on  him  as  if  by  magic ; 
and,  without  saying  a  word  the  stern  god 
began  to  sink  down,  down  into  the  cold, 
black  water." 

"Oh,  cried  Hans'  "was  the  man 
drowned?" 

"No  answered  his  mother,  "he  was  not 


104      The  Night  of  the  Stolen   Treasure 

drowned.  The  great  god  drew  him 
down,  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  lake, 
where  he  has  a  wonderful  palace.  In  it 
there  are  all  kinds  of  strange  creatures.'* 

"But  what  does  the  man  do  down  there  ? 
Is  he  still  alive?" 

"Yes ;  Mummel  will  not  let  him  die ;  but 
keeps  him,  and  makes  him  serve  in  the 
kitchen  year  after  year." 

"And  does  he  not  have  any  rest  or  any 
holidays  ?" 

"He  does  not  need  rest  down  there,  be- 
cause he  is  no  longer  mortal  like  us.  But 
once  a  year  he  ceases,  for  a  single  night, 
to  serve  in  the  kitchen.  He  becomes  a 
mortal  again  and  comes  back  to  earth. 

"Every  year  on  the  day  on  which  he 
committed  his  crime,  he  puts  on  his 
earthly  clothes  and  comes  up.  And  when 
he  reaches  the  world,  he  suddenly  finds 
himself  at  the  place  where  he  stole  the 
treasure. 

"He  hears  some  one  coming,  and  starts 
to  flee   witK  the  treasure  on  his  back. 


The  Night  of  the  Stolen  Treasure     105 

Each  time,  he  comes  to  the  same  spot  on 
Mummelsee,  and  throws  the  sack  into  the 
lake.  Just  as  before,  too,  he  tries  to  hide 
in  the  bushes  and  is  caught  and  held  by 
them. 

"Every  year  Mummel,  angry  as  before, 
comes  up  and  drags  the  man  out  of  the 
bushes,  and  draws  him  down  to  his  palace 
again. 

"Many  people  have  heard  the  strange 
noises  in  the  bushes  along  the  shore  of  the 
lake.  Some  of  them  imagine,  too,  that 
they  have  seen  a  strange  form  rising  from 
the  waters.  They  declare  that  on  this 
night  the  lake  is  greatly  disturbed.  The 
wind  is  loud,  and  the  bushes  bend  their 
heads  down  to  the  very  water. 

"On  the  night  when  these  strange 
things  happen,  people  are  careful  to  avoid 
the  place.  Although  they  like  to  go  there 
at  other  times,  they  would  not  wish  to  be 
found  there  on  the  Night  of  the  Stolen 
Treasure." 


THE  WATER  SPRITES 

Mummel,  the  great  angry  water  god, 
has  many  beautiful  daughters.  These  he 
guards  jealously,  and  will  allow  no  one  to 
see  them  in  their  maiden  forms  except  by 
the  dim  moonlight. 

These  beautiful  water  nymphs  are  not 
at  all  like  their  stern  father.  They  are 
pure,  and  gentle  and  graceful  and  kind. 
They  never  do  harm  to  anyone,  and  are 
not  displeased  if  people  come  to  visit  the 
lake.  Indeed  they  like  to  have  people 
come  to  see  them  dance  upon  the  water  at 
night. 

These  lovely  creatures  would  gladly 
help  people  if  their  father  did  not  guard 
them  so  jealously;  for  they  are  kind- 
hearted  and  generous. 

As  it  is,  all  they  can  do  for  mortals  is 
to  entertain  them  with  their  fairy  dances 
106 


The  Water  Sprites  107 

on  the  silvery  waters  of  Mummelsee.  On 
every  moonlight  night  they  can  be  seen 
flitting  about  on  the  surface  of  that. 

Their  fairy  forms  are  so  charming  that 
people  who  see  them  cannot  help  forget- 
ting their  daily  cares.  People  come  to 
the  lake  tired  and  careworn  in  the  even- 
ing, and  go  away  happy  and  cheerful. 

All  night  long,  till  the  first  streaks  of 
dawn,  the  fairy  nymphs  can  be  seen,  flit- 
ting charmingly  from  wave  to  wave. 
Their  gowns  are  light  and  flowing  like 
gossamers.  Their  beautiful  golden  hair, 
too,  floats  lightly  on  the  gentle  breeze. 

Once  or  twice,  it  is  said,  daring  youths 
have  been  drawn  by  their  beauty,  and 
have  ventured  into  the  lake  to  meet  them. 
Every  attempt,  however,  has  been  disas- 
trous. Mummel  has  caught  the  intruder 
and  taken  him  down  to  his  abode  below 
the  lake.  There  the  unhappy  youth  has 
had  to  act  as  a  servant. 

Whenever  anyone  attempts  to  come  too 
close  to  his  daughters,  too,  Mummel  takes 


108  The  Water  Sprites 

away  their  human  shapes  at  once.  He 
transforms  them  into  water  lilies,  and 
makes  them  stand  with  bowed  heads  along 
the  farther  shore  of  the  lake. 

Every  morning,  too,  as  soon  as  the  first 
light  of  day  begins  to  appear,  the  beauti- 
ful figures  leave  their  fairy  dance  upon 
the  lake.  Mummel  transforms  them  into 
their  lily  forms  and  makes  them  stand  in 
the  water  along  the  shore. 

So  the  beautiful  water  lilies  which  are 
to  be  seen  in  Mummelsee  are  the  lovely 
water  sprites,  daughters  of  Mummel.  No 
one  is  allowed  to  pick  one  even  to  this  day. 


THE  GIANT  MAIDEN 

Many  years  ago  there  lived  a  mighty 
race  of  giants.  They  were  as  tall  as  the 
hills,  and  dwelt  in  great  castles  as  large 
as  mountains.  To  them  the  world  was  a 
very  small  place  indeed. 

These  giants  loved  the  world,  however, 
and  all  the  many  beautiful  things  in  it. 
The  sunshine,  the  song  of  birds,  the  green 
fields,  the  woods,  the  rivers,  and  the  blue 
sky  were  all  charming  to  them. 

So  it  was  that  they  used  to  walk  a  great 
deal.  They  used  to  go  everywhere  and 
see  everything  that  was  good  to  see. 
When  they  walked,  however,  they  stepped 
from  hilltop  to  hilltop.  They  never  went 
down  into  the  valleys. 

The  king  of  the  giants  wras  a  great  and 
a  good  man.  He  was  kind  to  his  people, 
and  kind  to  his  children,  and  they  all  loved 
109 


no  The  Giant  Maiden 

and  honored  him.  One  of  his  children 
was  a  beautiful  girl.  She  would  soon  be 
a  woman,  but  she  still  loved  playthings. 

Like  the  rest  of  the  giants,  Hilda,  the 
king's  daughter,  liked  to  go  walking  out 
into  the  world.  She  often  found  most  in- 
teresting playthings.  Sometimes  she 
would  bring  home  a  bear,  or  a  baby  ele- 
phant. 

One  day  Hilda  went  out  for  a  walk. 
She  had  had  to  stay  in  the  castle  for 
several  days  because  of  the  rain.  This 
was  a  beautiful  day,  however,  and  she 
walked  a  long  way,  even  for  a  giant's 
daughter. 

The  maiden  stepped  over  valley  after 
valley,  from  hilltop  to  hilltop,  till  she  was 
far  away  from  home.  She  had  never 
gone  so  far  before.  The  country  seemed 
quite  different,  and  it  was  pleasant,  too. 

At  last  she  stopped  and  looked  about 
her  to  enjoy  the  scene.  Before  her  was  a 
wide  valley,  and  in  it  she  saw  many 
curious  things.     One  of  them  was  a  man 


The  Giant  Maiden  ill 

plowing  with  horses.  She  had  never  seen 
anything  like  that  before. 

"Oh!"  she  cried,  "what  cute  playthings 
they  will  make!  They  will  be  real  live 
playthings,  too.  How  nice  the  little  crea- 
ture is  that  walks  behind !  And  the  thing 
he  is  holding;  that  will  make  a  fine  toy. 
And'  the  other  animals  will  be  such  lovely 
pets.     I  must  have  them  all." 

Hilda  reached  down  into  the  valley  and 
picked  up  the  man,  the  plow,  and  the 
horses,  and  tucked  them  away  in  her 
apron.  Then  she  went  home  to  tell  her 
father. 

"See  what  lovely  playthings  I  have 
found!"  she  called  to  him,  as  she  ran  into 
the  great  castle. 

"My  darling  child,"  said  the  good  King, 
"these  are  not  playthings.  You  must 
take  them  back  and  leave  them  where  you 
found  them.  You  must  never  touch  them 
again.  This  is  a  man,  and  he  has  a  wife 
and  children  at  home.  They  will  be  very 
sad  if  he  does  not  come  back  to  them. 


112  The  Giant  Maiden 

"By  and  by,"  he  went  on,  "the  whole 
world  will  be  owned  by  little  creatures 
like  this  man,  and  we  shall  be  no  more." 

The  King's  daughter  was  very  sad 
when  she  heard  these  things.  She  did 
not  want  to  give  up  such  delightful  play- 
things. But  she  had  a  kind  heart,  and 
she  loved  her  father.  She  knew,  too,  that 
he  understood  things  much  better  than 
she  did.  So  she  put  the  man,  the  plow, 
and  the  horses  into  her  apron  again,  and 
took  them  back  to  the  place  where  she 
had  found  them. 

The  man  was  very  happy  when  she  set 
him  down  in  the  field  again.  His  good 
wife,  and  his  children  were  there,  too ;  and 
they  rejoiced  to  see  him  again.  They 
feared  something  had  happened  to  him. 

The  maiden  looked  on  for  a  time, 
wondering  about  it  all.  It  made  her  glad 
to  see  how  happy  the  man  and  his  wife 
and  children  were.  She  was  no  longer 
sorry  that  she  had  given  up  her  play- 
things, and  she  went  home  with  a  light 
heart. 


THE  SWAN  KNIGHT 

Elsa  was  a  very  beautiful  girl.  She 
lived  with  her  father,  the  Duke  of  Bra- 
bant. Her  father  loved  her  very  much, 
so  they  lived  happily  in  their  lovely  home. 
But  one  day  Elsa's  father  died,  leaving 
her  all  of  his  lands  and  castles.  Then  she 
had  no  one  to  care  for  her,  and  she  was 
very  unhappy  indeed. 

The  Duke  of  Brabant  had  had  a  trusted 
friend,  Frederick  of  Telramund.  He 
undertook  the  care  of  Elsa ;  but  he  did  not 
guard  the  lonely  maiden  as  her  father 
would  have  wished.  Indeed,  this  man 
tried  to  force  her  to  marry  him,  that  he 
might  obtain  all  of  her  wealth. 

In  vain  the  lovely  Elsa  declared  she  did 

not  love  him.     In  vain  she  appealed  to  his 

chivalry.     He  cared  nothing  for  her  tears, 

but  cruelly  cast  her  into  a  damp  prison 

ii3 


1 14  The  Swan  Night 

close  by  the  rushing  river.  There  she 
must  suffer  in  loneliness  until  she  would 
obey  the  will  of  Telramund. 

At  last  Elsa  sent  a  long  message  to 
Henry  I.  begging  him  for  aid.  He  de- 
cided that  the  matter  should  be  settled 
in  the  lists.  Elsa  should  choose  a  cham- 
pion to  fight  with  Frederick  of  Telra- 
mund. 

Poor  Elsa  lost  all  hope  when  she  heard 
this  decision.  She  knew  full  well  that  no 
knight  in  the  neighborhood  would  dare 
accept  a  challenge  from  Telramund;  for 
Telramund  had  fought  many  times  and 
had  never  been  defeated.  Day  after  day 
the  herald  sought  someone  to  battle  for 
Elsa's  rights.  It  was  as  she  had  feared, 
no  one  answered  the  call. 

Forsaken  by  all,  the  orphan  girl  turned 
to  the  helper  of  the  helpless.  Night  and 
day  she  knelt  in  her  narrow  cell  and 
prayed.  In  her  great  grief  she  struck  her 
breast  with  the  rosary  clasped  in  her  little 
hands. 


The  Swan  Night  1 15 

The  little  bell  attached  to  the  rosary, 
gave  forth  a  low  tinkling  sound.  These 
silvery  tones  were  very  soft  and  faint. 
They  could  scarcely  be  heard  above  the 
roar  of  the  waters  rushing  past  the  tower. 
But  they  floated  out  through  the  narrow 
window  into  the  open  air. 

The  winds  of  heaven  caught  up  the 
sounds  and  whirled  them  rapidly  away. 
Farther  and  farther  they  traveled,  louder 
and  louder  they  became.  At  last  it  seemed 
as  if  all  the  bells  on  earth  had  united  to 
ring  forth  one  grand  deafening  peal. 

These  loud  and  pleading  tones  reached 
even  into  the  far  distant  temple  on  Mont- 
salvat.  Here  King  Parsifal  and  his  train 
of  dauntless  knights  kept  constant  watch 
over  the  Holy  Grail.  The  King  was 
greatly  alarmed  by  the  tones.  He  knew 
that  some  poor  creature  needed  aid,  and 
so  hastened  into  his  inner  temple. 

Within  this  holy  place  there  stood  a 
beautiful  vase,  giving  forth  its  rosy  light. 
On  its  bright  edge  the  King  read  the  mes- 


Ii6  The  Swan  Night 

sage  from  heaven.  "Send  Lohengrin  to 
defend  his  future  bride,  but  let  her  trust 
him  and  never  seek  to  know  his  origin." 
These  were  the  strange  words  which  met 
the  aged  King's  eyes. 

The  King  immediately  sent  for  his  son. 
Lohengrin  was  a  brave  young  knight. 
He  had  been  trained  to  receive  the  mes- 
sages of  the  Holy  Grail  with  the  most 
perfect  faith.  When  he  heard  the  words 
from  his  father,  he  put  on  his  armor, 
spoke  his  farewells,  and  at  once  prepared 
to  mount  his  waiting  steed. 

Suddenly  sweet  music  fell  upon  his  ear. 
He  had  never  heard  anything  like  it  on 
land  or  sea.  Soft,  low,  and  sweet,  it  rose 
and  fell  and  rose  again.  Then,  in  the  dis- 
tance, Lohengrin  saw  a  stately  swan  come 
floating  toward  him.  It  drew  behind  it  a 
little  skiff.  Nearer  and  nearer  came  the 
stately  swan,  clearer  and  sweeter  rose  the 
mystic  strain.  Both  came  to  a  pause  close 
by  the  shore  where  the  wondering  knight 
stood. 


The  Swan  Night  117 

Lohengrin  sprang  at  once  into  the  skiff. 
The  swan  took  up  its  song  again,  and  soon 
bore  him  out  of  sight. 

The  day  for  the  tournament  had 
dawned.  The  last  preparations  had  been 
made.  Many  knights  had  gathered  to 
view  the  scene.  Yet  not  one  dared  to 
offer  himself  as  champion  for  the  lovely 
maiden. 

Elsa  clung  to  her  prison  bars.  Tear- 
fully she  repeated  for  the  last  time  her 
prayers. 

''Send  Thou  the  deliverer,  O  Lord!" 
she  cried. 

All  at  once  her  sobs  ceased.  The  far 
away  sounds  of  music  fell  comfortingly 
upon  her  ear.  She  looked  out  eagerly. 
There  she  beheld  a  spotless  swan  floating 
gently  down  the  stream,  skillfully  guiding 
a  little  boat.  In  the  boat  a  knight  in  full 
armor  lay  fast  asleep  on  a  glittering 
shield. 

Just  as  the  swan  passed  beneath  the 
window    where    Elsa    stood,    the   knight 


1 1 8  The  Swan  Night 

awoke.     His  first  glance  rested  upon  her 
tear-stained  face. 

"Weep  no  more,  fair  maiden !"  he  cried, 
springing  to  his  feet.  "Fear  naught!  I 
have  come  to  defend  you !" 

The  skiff  passed  on  down  the  river. 
The  prison  door  opened,  and  Frederick  of 
Telramund  appeared  to  lead  Elsa  to  the 
lists.  A  smile  of  triumph  curled  his  cruel 
lips  as  he  heard  the  herald  give  the  last 
call  for  Elsa's  champion.  The  sound  of 
the  trumpets  died  away  and  Frederick 
had  turned  to  address  Elsa.  Suddenly  a 
ringing  voice  came  from  the  end  of  the 
lists. 

"Here  am  I,  the  Swan  Knight,  ready  to 
fight  for  the  rights  of  the  Princess.  I  will 
win  her  cause  or  die." 

A  cry  of  admiration  arose  from  the 
crowd,  as  they  turned  toward  the  Rhine. 
There  they  saw  a  handsome  knight,  stand- 
ing erect  in  a  tiny  skiff  drawn  by  a  swan. 
Spellbound  they  watched  him.  He  sprang 
lightly  ashore  and  sent  the  swan  away. 


The  Swan  Night  119 

It  floated  down  the  river  and  out  of  sight, 
giving  forth  its  own  beautiful,  dreamy 
song. 

For  a  moment  Lohengrin  knelt  at 
Elsa's  feet,  making  a  solemn  vow  to  save 
her.  Then  he  mounted  his  waiting  steed, 
drew  down  his  visor,  and  took  his  place 
in  the  lists. 

The  struggle  began.  Breathlessly  the 
knights  and  ladies  watched  it.  Nothing 
could  be  heard  but  the  clank  of  steel,  the 
heavy  breathing  of  the  two  knights,  and 
the  tramp  of  their  horses  feet.  The  dust 
almost  hid  them  from  view. 

Suddenly  a  terrible  blow  was  heard. 
The  great  frame  of  Frederick  of  Telra- 
mund  was  seen  to  sway  for  a  moment  in 
the  saddle,  then  to  fall  and  roll  in  the 
dust.  In  a  moment  Lohengrin  had  dis- 
mounted. He  stood  with  one  foot  on 
Telramund's  breast,  ordering  him  to  sur- 
render. 

Triumphant  cries  and  joyful  trumpets 
told  of  the  victory.     Cheer   after   cheer 


120  The  Swan  Night 

rang  through  the  summer  air,  as  Lohen- 
grin knelt  before  Elsa  once  more.  The 
cries  of  the  knights  and  ladies  were  loud 
and  long.  They  almost  drowned  Elsa's 
sweet  voice  as  she  bade  her  champion  rise 
ar>d  name  his  own  reward. 

Though  the  low  spoken  tones  had  been 
unheeded  by  the  people,  not  one  word  had 
been  lost  by  Lohengrin. 

"Tempt  me  not,  oh  noble  lady!"  he  re- 
plied. "Here  at  your  feet  where  I  would 
linger  forever,  I  cannot  but  confess  how 
much  li  love  you,  and  how  I  hope  some  day 
to  claim  your  hand." 

The  pretty  flush  on  Elsa's  soft  cheeks 
deepened  at  these  words.  The  long 
lashes  drooped  over  the  beautiful  eyes. 
Timidly  she  held  out  her  hand. 

"You  saved  me,  sir  knight,"  she  softly 
whispered.     "I  am  yours!" 

Not  a  word  of  this  conversation  had 
been  heard  by  the  people,  for  their  shouts 
had  been  redoubled  as  the  night  bent  low 
over  Elsa's  hand  and  pressed  it  to  his  lips. 


The  Swan  Night  ill 

Before  night,  however,  Elsa's  promise 
to  become  the  knight's  bride  had  gone 
abroad.  Preparations  for  the  marriage 
were  begun  at  once. 

Elsa  had  trembled  with  fear  at  the 
thought  of  a  union  with  Frederick  of 
Telramund,  yet  she  did  not  hesitate  in  the 
least  to  give  herself  to  the  strange  knight 
who  had  saved  her.  Nor  did  she  doubt 
him  when  he  told  her  that  she  must  never 
seek  to  know  either  his  name  or  his  ori- 
gin. 

These  must  remain  a  secret  from  her 
and  from  all  the  people  or  they  would 
have  to  part  forever. 

Many  knights  and  ladies  attended  the 
marriage  ceremony.  The  young  Lohen- 
grin and  his  lovely  bride  lived  peacefully 
and  happily  for  many  years.  Their  love 
for  each  other  grew  deeper  and  better  as 
one  by  one  three  beautiful  children  came 
to  add  to  their  happiness. 

But  Elsa,  though  perfectly  content  with 
her  husband's  unchanging  love,  could  not 


122  The  Swan  Night 

but  notice  that  many  of  her  people  secretly 
doubted  him.  They  tried  many  times, 
and  in  many  different  ways  to  discover 
his  name  and  origin. 

Little  by  little,  she,  too,  began  to 
wonder.  The  more  she  thought  of  it,  the 
more  she  longed  to  know  her  husband's 
secret.  Finally,  as  she  was  seated  by  him 
one  day,  she  suddenly  turned  to  him  and 
asked  the  forbidden  question. 

"Elsa!  Elsa!  Is  your  faith  dead?" 
cried  the  Swan  Knight  in  broken  voice. 
''Can  you  no  longer  trust  me?  I  love  you 
so,  and  now  I  must  leave  you.  Our  hap- 
piness is  at  an  end!  But,  before  I  go, 
your  question  shall  be  answered.  Come 
with  me !" 

His  pale  face  and  despairing  glance 
brought  Elsa  to  her  senses.  With  a  lov- 
ing cry  she  flung  herself  on  his  breast, 
begging  him  to  forgive  and  forget  her 
question.     He  sadly  shook  his  head. 

"It  is  too  late,  Elsa,"  he  replied,  "too 
late!    You  have  doubted  me;  and  I  must 


The  Swan  Night  123 

leave  you ;  but  before  I  go  you  shall  know 
all." 

The  knights  had  gathered  in  the  great 
banqueting  hall  near  the  Rhine.  They 
started  up  in  surprise  when  their  master 
suddenly  came  in  their  midst.  He  led  the 
pale  and  weeping  Elsa  gently  by  the  hand. 

"Listen,  oh,  knights,"  he  began.  "The 
time  has  come  when  I  must  leave  you. 
Before  I  go,  it  is  right  that  you  should 
know  that  I  am  Lohengrin,  son  of  Parsi- 
fal, the  great  king.  I  was  sent  hither  by 
the  Holy  Grail,  to  save  your  princess, 
Elsa,  from  Frederick  of  Telramund. 
Now  the  Holy  Vessel  calls  me  and  I  must 
go.  Ere  I  depart,  I  ask  you  to  watch 
faithfully  over  my  little  ones  and  to  wipe 
away  their  mother's  tears.     Farewell!" 

Then  in  the  midst  of  the  silence  which 
followed  these  words,  while  he  held  Elsa 
in  a  last  fond  embrace,  the  low  strains  of 
the  sweet  music  again  came  floating  down 
the  Rhine.  A  moment  later  the  swan  ap- 
peared. 


124  The  Swan  Night 

Slowly  Lohengrin  tore  himself  away 
from  Elsa's  trembling  arms.  He  sprang 
down  the  steps  and  into  the  waiting  swan 
boat.  Away  it  glided  to  the  strains  of 
sad  music,  and  bore  him  out  of  sight  for- 
ever. 


THE   END 


